Modern Jedi
by CrimsonShinigami
Summary: COMPLETE: SuperPostGFFA - The Force is in every living thing, so why not in you and me? This, first of a probable series, takes a random person from our own planet, pitting him against all the terrors of the Universe, and the darkness of his own heart.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Leo's eyes zoned fixedly into the mix of milk and cereal in his bowl and he chomped down on the spoon he'd just set into his mouth. The cereal tasted unpleasant and slightly off, but that may well have been the taste of guilt putting him off his food.

Normally, he would insist that breakfast was by far the most important meal of the day. He would make sure to eat a good bowl of cereal, a couple of slices of toast and have a long glass of iced juice before he set out for the day.

Today was different. His mother was looking across the littered table with a slightly hurt look on her face, piercing Leonard's radiant calm with her gaze, making him feel completely awful; as though by growing up he was causing her harm. It made every bite just that much harder to swallow.

Finally Leo deposited his spoon in the empty bowl, the cardboard cornflakes on their way down his oesophagus. Just two slices of toast to go. He didn't exactly judge his chances at getting through them without running into trouble with the Spanish Inquisition as being good, but he would try and remain calm, at least.

He reached up and took his glass of juice, bringing it to his lips and sipping on it delicately, trying to show just how unhurried he was. She couldn't fluster him. Not this time. He reached his hand over the toaster, just as the toast popped up, and seized it in mid air before setting it down on his plate, going straight to buttering it.

His mother continued to glare over her soggy crisped rice.

Leo calmly set the knife down and tapped a few grains of salt on his toast before bringing the slice to his lips and biting down on it, chewing unflustered on the coarse bread.

"That is a disgusting habit, Leonard. You put too much salt on your food."

With a modicum of calm, Leo lifted his eyes to his mother. She only used his full name when she was angry with him, and Leo knew as well as she did that the salt was not what she was angry about. He chewed a little more of his piece of toast off, and let it rest on his fingertips while he ran it through the gauntlet of his teeth, and finally sent it after his cereal.

As soon as the second piece of toast was on his plate, his mother finally settled on what she'd been furiously refusing to ask all morning. "Where were you last night?"

Leo let his knife pause for just a second as he considered the question, the butter melting into the hot surface of the toast. He didn't leave it for long though. He liked his toast perfect – and that meant warm, at the very least. He ran the knife the rest of the way across the surface, and when he was done set it down steadily, before replying levelly:

"I stayed at a friend's house last night."

"You could have phoned me!" She exclaimed, bitterly, slamming her spoon down on the chequered tablecloth. Leo flinched and glanced up, realising just now that she had barely touched her breakfast, and that the rice had practically melted in their creamy covering.

He picked up his toast and brought it to his lips, replying just before biting into it. "They don't have a phone."

His mother countered with a glare. "Do you really think I believe that? This is the city, Leo. Everyone has a phone – and even if they haven't, there'll be a telephone box round the corner."

Leo chewed steadily on his toast, choosing not to reply to her until he had finished eating. "They didn't have a phone," he stressed, when the first bite of toast was gone. "And I didn't have any change."

"So you didn't ask for some?" She reeled, leaning herself slightly over the table. Leo noticed that her face was almost as red as her hair, and several pale freckles were beginning to be more noticeable by the second. He chomped down another quarter of the piece of toast.

"No. It would have been rude."

"Would it have been as rude as not phoning your mother?" She snarled, and Leo simply shrugged through his mouthful of bread. He reached over and took his orange, washing away what was left of his breakfast and dragging himself to his feet as he finished it.

Looking appalled his mother sank back into her chair and watched him as he mopped his lips with his sleeve and grabbed his bag off the chair next to her.

"Goodbye mum. See you after school."

She was too aghast to say anything as he swept out the door, and she sat there for a few minutes longer, watching him briefly as he passed the outset window of the little terraced house and started off down the street at a brisk walk.

Leo was relieved to be out of that situation, even if it was just for the duration of school. His mother could be very difficult at times. Especially, he realised, since they'd moved to the city.

It had been a long time ago now, when he was just getting to college age. As a gangly child – too fast growing for his legs to keep up, and with thick, straight red hair and green eyes burning with hidden intensity, he had lived in a village with his mother, in a beautiful period farm house overlooking most of the small settlement. He'd gone to the small rustic primary school there and when he got older, gone to his secondary school on a very unreliable bus.

His life there had been very different, he recalled, as he made his way towards the coach stop that would take him straight to his most recent school. He'd had his own pony, for a start, a creature he'd have trusted his life with, but had had to sell on moving to the city.

Beyond that there was the vegetable garden. Tending it had been one of his many hobbies, and getting in the many different roots and fruits at the perfect time had been a talent he'd perfected as time went on.

But the education wasn't an excellent one. Towards his important exams at the end of his final school year, he studied like a hound on a scent and ended up passing with flying colours, to his immense relief.

Not that it helped – there were no schools local enough to take him. So his mother had decided to move closer.

So they'd sold up their beautiful farm house to a man who wanted to knock down the stable block to build a modern villa. Espoir, the pony, had been sold to a riding school, where his mouth would become insensitive to directions, being pulled on by talent less youths and kicked in the side when he didn't feel their directions.

And now they lived here, in the residential area of the city, in a house barely big enough for the two of them, with the paint on the fore all but weathered away, and a garden half concreted over, and what soil there was too stony to grow any kind of vegetables in.

They'd had a fantastic view before, but now there were only more houses and the high wall of their fruitless garden. During the day smog tended to block out the sunlight – and during the night, a hazy glow of night pollution made the stars completely invisible.

Leo wondered, as he slowed down, whether his education was really worth it. Now he was a tall youth, with long red hair and still sharp green eyes. He was still gangly, much to his irritation, since he'd spent a lot of his time trying to buff up. It irritated him sometimes that after all the riding, the walking, the exercise, he was still as thin and to all outward appearances; weak; as he had been when he was just five years old.

He lifted his eyes just in time to see the coach rounding the corner and took a step back from the edge of the pavement nervously.

But after last night, he didn't want to go back.

In the village there hadn't been anyone his age. No friends and more importantly, no girls. Here, he at least knew some people. The coach ground noisily to a halt beside him, roaring like some rainforest beast and rocking slightly on its suspension. The door hissed and clicked open, and he stepped up into the musty smell of sleepy people in a confined space.

Immediately someone greeted him from half way down the coach, and he made his way over and climbed onto the seat next to his friend.

"Heard about you and Michaela, Leo," said the other, with a broad grin.

Leo flushed ever so slightly and lowered his head. "Well, you know…"

"I do know!" exclaimed his friend. "I got told the whole story. Sorry I couldn't make it, had work, you know."

"I didn't know you worked, Zack," Leo replied, steadily.

"Oh yeah – it's just part-time - down at the corner shop. A little bit of income to keep myself - parents wanting rent and stuff - Ridiculous really."

Leo stretched his fingers in front of him and leant back in his seat slightly.

Zack finally gave him a glance. "So what did you end up telling your mother?"

"I didn't," Leo replied with a glance towards Zack that silenced him adequately.

The rest of the trip was in complete, tense silence, and when they arrived at the sixth form college, Zack and Leo grumbled and pushed like everyone else on the coach. They streamed out like cows from a livestock lorry, falling over each other as they went, and then pooling out as soon as they got into the fresh air outside.

"So," Zack said after a short while. "Are you going to ask her out?"

Leo lifted his eyes. He hadn't expected his friend to continue speaking at all – no less about what they had already been talking about. "Well…well I don't know." He sucked in on his lower lip, feeling his cheeks burning.

"You don't know about asking her out? Are you that much a farm boy?"

Shooting him a lethal look, Leo lifted his jaw defiantly. "I know about dates, Zack. I'm not a complete retard."

Zack gave him a thump with one fist and then pointed with his other hand. "There she is now. It's your big break, Leo."

Leo looked up. Yes, she was there; Michaela…but that didn't mean he was going over to her. "At lunch time," he said firmly. "It's far too early to contemplate how I'm going to say it."

Shaking his head, Zack let Leo turn away from Michaela and walk in the direction of the maths block. He watched as Leo glanced back over his shoulder at the departing blonde.

"Lunch time then, but no later," Zack said firmly. "I'll hold you to that, Leo."

After registration, Leo spent half an hour doing little more than just making sure that all his homework was done and double checking his answers. It was difficult, because he had to concentrate over the irritating bustle of those too lazy to use school time for work.

Then it was time to go. Their straight faced form teacher departed to be replaced with a saggy faced man with a lazy eye. He seemed to watch them at all times, and many of the students made fun of him, but Leo respected him. Despite his disability, he was a sharp mathematician, and more than capable of doing his job. Not to mention that out of every teacher in the school, he was the one that most effectively kept the students quiet.

Leo was the first on his feet, and when the teacher sat down, he sat down too. Homework was handed in, and the rest of the lesson went smoothly.

So did the other lessons leading up to lunch, leading up to Leo's deadline. At one point he walked past Michaela in the hallway, but he was in a hurry to get to class.

When the bell rang for lunch, he went to escape, but Zack was already there, and he looped his arm hurriedly around Leo's and gave him a little tug in the direction of the lunch hall.

"I've changed my mind," Leo said sharply, fighting slightly against Zack's grip for just a second, but then giving up and falling into step beside him. "Fine, have it your way."

The hall was large and noisy, full of people of a similar age to his own and slightly older. They sat at small tables dotted around the hall, every one trying to talk over the next, and Leo automatically noticed the blonde head of Michaela sitting at one of the closer tables.

"There she is," Zack said, pulling on his arm, and Leo found himself pushed quite firmly against the end of the table, to the giggles of the girls that Michaela was with.

Rubbing the back of his neck with his palm, Leo simply looked down at Michaela, surrounded by her friends, and coloured. Michaela looked at him expectantly.

"Don't get shy on me now, pal," Zack hissed in his ear, and Leo summoned up his courage and lifted his chin defiantly.

"I…" he began. "I was wondering if you were…you know, busy this weekend?"

Michaela seemed completely unflustered. She gave one of her friends a pointed 'I told you so look', then returned his gaze to Leo. "I'm busy on Sunday, but tomorrow's possible."

Leo looked at her, and then realised that that was a good thing. He let out his breath and relaxed obviously. "That's great, I guess."

"You guess?" All the tenseness suddenly snapped back in around him and he flushed.

"No! It's great. So…maybe we can meet outside Sounds Perfect at six?" Sounds Perfect was where he frequently met up with his friends; a little music shop at one end of the high street, just beside the skate park.

She nodded, and Leo stood there, with a bright, stupid grin plastered on his face. Eventually Zack had to pull him back, and they went to join the massive queue of irritated people waiting for their lunch.

Leo bounced from one foot to the other, grinning from ear to ear, and Zack could only shake his head. "Look at you…you look like a shark showing your teeth like that!"

"She said yes!" Leo yipped, turning his eyes on Zack. "She said yes, and I have a date! What am I going to wear?"

Zack opened his mouth to say something and ended up laughing instead. "Wear? Dude, you don't have to worry about things like that. You're the guy, remember? All you need to do is turn up."

Leo stared at him bewildered, but at that moment the queue moved and they were swept up against the counter. It was only then that Leo realised just how hungry he was. The heaps of food laid out before him tortured him, and he did a few quick sums to work out just how much food he could get out of his dinner tab.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dinner was usually quite an ordeal. His mother was an excellent cook. Much better than one of those horrible chefs Leo saw on the television. She knew how to cook, because she'd been doing it her whole life. Her mother had taught her to help in the kitchen when she was very young, and so she had taught Leo to cook too.

Normally he had a lot of work to do after school, but at weekends he could spare the time to help her in the kitchen. She believed that everyone should at least learn the basics, because you have to eat for the rest of your life, so if you don't know how to cook, it may just be a problem.

So at weekends he helped, and he enjoyed it. There was a lot more talent in choosing the right herbs and putting in the right quantities than Leo thought most people suspected. It wasn't just a case of bunging it all together and getting something good. You needed to have an affinity for it.

Leo was particularly disappointed in some of the people his age that didn't know how to cook anything more than chips, the boys who were just too stubborn to think about it, and the girls, who'd rather party. He rolled his eyes mentally at that thought, as he delicately balanced the sugar and salt in his carrots and set them on the heat.

It was getting late. He'd have to leave in an hour, and he had yet to eat, wash up and get ready. The carrots would still take another twenty five minutes. And worst of all, he hadn't yet found a way to tell his mother that he was actually going anywhere.

She seemed quite relaxed now, spreading the homemade stuffing on the half cooked pork chops, but he decided against it, turning away and heading out into the next room to lay the table instead.

Later, as they sat together eating, Leo took his chance, starting with a compliment, to soften the effect of his words.

"These are wonderful, as usual."

"Thank you, Leo," replied his mother, so he went on, conversationally.

"I have to get going in half an hour or I'll be late."

His mother set her fork down on the table and looked up at him. "Late? You're going out now?"

"Yes…I have to meet someone at six."

"Someone..?"

Leo looked down at his food. "Michaela... You haven't met her."

"...A girl?"

"Yes… Does it matter?"

His mother couldn't have looked angrier. "You can't go out tonight."

Leo looked up at her questioning, with an edge of fury building within him. "Why…? What's so special about tonight?"

"Nothing!" she barked in reply. "But I absolutely refuse you to go on a date. I don't know what you might get up to."

"You don't have any right to stop me," Leo snarled, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, don't I? How old is this girl?"

"Fifteen," Leo said firmly.

"So she's below the age of consent then?"

Leo flushed brightly. "I don't…" he started.

"Don't you? You can't promise me that, so you're not going!" She banged her fist down on the table.

"That's not fair!" Leo barked, coming up to his feet.

The table moved as he went. All the food, the bottle of wine, the plates – everything went flying backwards as it pivoted over with incredible force, sending plates smashing to either side of his stunned mother. She fell back under the weight of it as it went, he head hitting the tiled floor of the dining room before the table concealed her from Leo's view.

Leo stood in shock. He hadn't touched the table – he just hadn't. He stepped forwards, suddenly not angry at all, his red face quickly returning to a freckled pale. He pulled the heavy table off his mother and knelt down beside her, ignorant of the mess.

She was very still, but she was still breathing shallowly. He reached up to touch her throat, checking her heartbeat, and swallowed hard. "Mum? Can you hear me?"

There was no reply. She simply lay there silent, and Leo regained his senses in a flash. He had to phone the emergency services. With one last glance at his mother he turned and dashed out of the room to where the phone was, putting to the receiver to his ear even as he dialled '999'.

The phone clicked on at the other end and a woman's voice said. "Good afternoon. Which service do you require?"

"Ambulance," Leo barked into the phone, and it clicked off again, and suddenly another person took over, this time it sounded like an older woman.

"Who is it calling?"

Leo couldn't quite remember his name at the moment, but after half a second the panic subsided enough for him to reply, "Leonard Black."

"And where are you calling from?"

His address took a second longer to remember. "Err…24 Perch Avenue. That's in Rochester, Kent."

"Okay, what's the emergency?"

"It's my mum…" Leo paused. What could he say? He didn't want to get into trouble. "She had something fall on her, and fell over…and now she's unconscious."

The woman on the other side of the phone soothed him. "Okay, just relax. There's an ambulance on the way." She went quiet for a moment, and then said. "It'll be there in five minutes. Don't move her. Open your front door and wait for the ambulance to arrive."

Leo went to do what the lady had said, then went back in to his mother. She looked so still lying there. He paced back and forth until suddenly the sirens caught his attention, and he turned towards the door.

A man and a woman in green rushed in, and one of them sank down next to his mother. The other, the woman, distracted him away from what the male paramedic was doing. "She's your mother?"

"Yes," Leo nodded glumly. "Will she be okay?"

"We'll do our best, but right now I need to ask you a few questions," said the paramedic. "It might help us."

Nodding again, Leo waited for her to start.

"Okay. First of all how did this happen?"

Leo wasn't looking forward to this question. He looked down at his mother. "We were eating dinner. I stood up and there was…the table kind of…flipped over and landed on her."

The woman looked at him, suspicion showing on her features. "Did you throw the table over?"

Leo shook his head vehemently. "No. No I didn't touch the table. I don't know how it happened."

The woman looked at him as though he was lying, and Leo felt for a moment like he would break down in tears. He hadn't touched the table – it had just happened. The paramedic talked to her partner for a moment, and then the questioning began again.

"You didn't move her?"

"No," Leo replied shakily. "No, just the table…"

"And you phoned straight away?"

"Yes. Yes of course I did."

The woman seemed satisfied. She turned her back on Leo and talked into her radio as she went back out the door. Leo looked back at the man with his mother, his shoulders trembling visibly.

After barely a few seconds the female paramedic returned with a stretcher, and together they gently lifted her onto it. Then they stood up, lifting her with them. "You can come in the back of the ambulance. You'll have to lock up here, I think."

Leo nodded, and then realised that he'd need the keys, he scrambled to get them, and then dashed out after the two paramedics, pulling the door shut and making his way to the back of the van, where they were lifting his mother in slowly. She was rolled into place, and Leo climbed up at a gesture from the female paramedic.

It took four minutes, thirty two seconds to get back to the hospital. Leo kept looking at his watch. The seconds seemed to stretch out forever, and trapped in a distortion of time, Leo realised with no care at all, that he was going to miss his date with Michaela.

Sitting alone in the waiting room, Leo could only reflect on how awful things had turned out to be. He hadn't been allowed to see his mother, and it must be ten now.

Musing over his flat can of Coke, playing with the ring pull with his left hand, Leo found his mind wandering back on memories of his mother.

She had always been a strong figure in his life, especially since he had grown up without a father. She had always been there for him. She'd taught him to read and write, even before he had gone to school. She had taught him to cook and tend the garden. She taught him to ride too.

His horse had been nothing special really, a red roan - young too. It could have been no more than four – recently trained, when his mother took him to buy her at a country market.

There hadn't been many horses there – not really of a kind that they wanted. He was seven, and his mother wanted a safe ride, but he wanted more – something that could test him as much as he could test it. There were one or two particularly good horses there. Half purebreds that showed their blood in their faces – racy, powerful creatures - too much for a first ride, definitely. There were a few tired old nags, that looked as though they might not last much longer – their backs broken from excessive work and pulling heavy carts up the windy streets. And then there were some young ponies; nothing of the well broken in pony that his mother had wanted.

Leo had seen his pony – knew instantly it was the one he wanted. It had tossed its head when he had looked at it, flicking its ginger mane back over its withers and making a whickering noise at him.

He had spent the rest of the market chasing his mother around and begging to have the red pony. Eventually she gave in, asking her owner just how much she was. Leonard had found himself walked home by his mother on the back of the pony, to his surprise. It had been the first time he'd ridden.

Leo had named her Espoir, after the French word for 'hope', after spending several nights sitting in his room, with his mother's dictionary spread out in front of him.

After that, it came easily. Within a few weeks they were jumping in what there was of the back garden, racing up the hill after a weekend ride, to get back so that Leo wouldn't be late for his weekly cooking lesson - even entering in the tiny village gymkhana, and winning prizes.

Leo realised, as he leant back in his chair that that was one of his cherished memories – all gone now, with poor Espoir probably being pulled around all day now.

The door flicked open and a nurse came in carrying a clipboard. She moved over to stand in front of Leo, who rose to meet her expectantly.

The nurse opened her mouth, but Leo beat her. "How is she?"

"She's…in a stable condition, Mr. Black. Please…sit down."

Leo sank back down, his eyes fixed on the nurse. She sat down close next to him and looked at him gravely over the top of her tiny pink glasses.

"I'm afraid she's comatose. We've done all we can to make her comfortable."

Leo took in a painful breath, speaking brokenly. "A coma...? H-How bad?"

The nurse didn't look up at him; she pretended to study the numbers and scribbles on her notepad instead. "I'm afraid that we don't expect her to wake up."

Leo felt shell-shocked. He sat pinned in his seat and staring in the direction of the nurse, but not actually registering her at all. Everything seemed blurred around him. His mother…she couldn't be… Something touched his shoulder and he came to his feet swiftly, afraid of being comforted.

The nurse let out a little cry, but Leo didn't react. He was too caught in his own misery. It was his fault! He must have moved that table and not remembered. He'd done this to her!

"My glasses!" The nurse exclaimed, her voice bursting the bubble that Leo had built up around himself – frustrating him. He turned on her, and then stopped. There she was, holding the frame of her ridiculous pink glasses in her hands.

The lenses were smashed into millions of pieces, which had fallen over her clipboard, and the dark blue carpet, like a cache of stars, glittering in the dull light of the room. The frames themselves were broken in the middle.

Concerned, Leo stepped closer. "How did they break?" He asked, tentatively.

"I…I don't know!" she replied, her voice high and uneven.

Leo had never seen glasses break like that. Sometimes they cracked…but they didn't just fall into tiny pieces, like shattered safety glass.

The woman seemed to regain a lot of her composure, although her shoulders still shook. "You can go and visit her. She's in room twelve." She turned and headed out of the room, and after Leo stepped out after her she fumbled with the lock blindly.

Not caring, Leo made his way straight to the room she had given him the number of, slipping in quietly, to find no-one there, just his mother, lying as though asleep on the bed, a bandage across part of her forehead.

He went over to the bed and sank down beside it, reaching up to take her hand sadly. He sat there for hours, listening to the soft beep of the monitor, and feeling the dull heartbeat dance in time.

At some point he must have fallen asleep, because he was roused when his mother was checked on, and escorted home in a taxi.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Bring, bring._

Leo turned his head sideways, pressing his nose into the hard table and trying to ignore the noise. He wasn't used to being woken up by it. The sound blurted in oddly into a dream he was having. It didn't fit, but he couldn't figure out what it was

_Bring, bring._

Suddenly he snapped out of his sleep, it was the phone. It had rung another time by the time he had flung himself across the room and snapped it up in his hand, having to bounce it in his palm as he almost dropped it.

"Yes?" He said quickly.

An irritated voice was on the other end of the phone; a female voice.

"Where were you last night? You didn't turn up!"

Leo, flummoxed, tried to figure out who it was and then he realised - it was Michaela. She sounded so surreal to him now, after what had just happened to him.

Leo knew that he'd have to tell her what had happened. He'd have to tell them all.

"I couldn't. I…"

She didn't let him explain, instead she barked in. "I don't care for your excuses!"

"But you have to listen," Leo croaked, "It's…"

"Don't. Care." Michaela interrupted, and then the line went dead. She'd slammed it down without hearing him out.

Stunned, he sank back down on the chair, looking at the mess where last night's dinner had been thrown over the floor. It was a horrid reminder of what had happened.

After a few moments of silence, Leo began the arduous task of clearing away the mess. He picked up what was intact to be washed, then took up the dustpan and brush to begin clearing the rest from the floor.

Leo was still worried about what was happening to him. Last night he had been furious…he'd wanted to turn over the table and throw a fit worthy of someone his age. He'd wanted it…and it had happened.

At the hospital, he had been face to face with the irritating nurse, who couldn't care less, but was sent to give him the bad news, like she'd drawn the short straw. He'd felt used. He wanted her to know how bad it felt for something so sudden and catastrophic to be thrown in your face. Her glasses had shattered.

They could easily just be accidents. Something had been wrong with her glasses after all. And maybe the table…maybe he had just brushed against it, and was too angry to notice…

…Then again, maybe not.

His reverie was broken by the intense claxon of the doorbell, and he set his dustpan aside before making his way to answer the door.

Zack was standing there, glaring in at him.

Feeling defeated, but still angry, Leo refused to break his gaze with his friend.

"What kind of thing are you pulling, snubbing one of the most popular girls in school? Are you trying to make people join up against you; against me?"

Leo didn't answer. Instead, he turned away from the door and walked back inside, going to continue tidying up.

"Don't walk away from me!" Zack barked, following him into the house. He stopped in the doorway and stared at what was left of the mess on the floor. Leo hadn't quite got far enough as to have mopped up the last of the gravy, and his mother's chair was still on its back.

"What happened here?" Zack said dumbly, looking at Leo on his knees, brushing up the last few of his well cooked carrots.

Leo gave him a hurt look and stood slowly, balancing the mess inside the dustpan and making his way to the bin. He tipped it in, and then, keeping his back to Zack said softly:

"I spent last night in the hospital."

Zack chose not to say anything; he just stared at his friend wildly. Leo turned towards him, studying him over the top of the wreckage.

Leo went on, his throat hurting. "My mother is in a coma."

Complete silence permeated the room. Leo felt the reality of what he'd just said crush in around him, affirmation of what he'd spent the last sixteen hours trying to deny.

"I…" Zack said after a moment, knowing he should probably say something. "How bad?"

Leo looked at the floor. "They don't expect her to wake up," he replied stiffly.

"I'm sorry," condoled his friend, instantly.

"Sure you are," Leo snapped bitterly, grabbing up the mop bucket from the corner and shoving it down into the sink. He slammed the tap up roughly with the back of his fist.

"I am…if I'd known I…"

Leo thrust the handle down again and wheeled on his friend. "If you'd known you'd have what?"

Zack took a cautious step away. Something in Leo's eyes was terrifying him; a feeling that had intensified in the air between them.

"Hey man. Relax!" Zack stepped back, and an arm fell on his shoulder.

"You ought to go," said a calm, seasoned voice.

"I ought to go," Zack said.

"You'll catch the bus straight home."

"I'll catch the bus straight home."

Zack was gone in seconds, and the stranger looked up at redhead that faced him, fury burning in his green eyes. He knew then that he had a difficult challenge to face.

Leo glared up at the interloper, his hands balled into fists at his side. "Who do you think you are, just walking into my house?"

The stranger was tall, and well groomed. His light brown hair was in curls that fell around his head, and a single plait fell from underneath his mop, over the front of his shoulder. Matching hazel eyes remained diligent despite Leo's obvious irritation.

He appeared unflustered as he stepped into the room, closing the door firmly behind him. "My name is Ranzel D'Kar. You really shouldn't leave the door open, if you don't expect people to come in."

Leo stared speechless at the man across from him. Despite the way the words were struggling to form in more than just an incoherent wail at the impossibility of the last twenty four hours getting any worse, he managed to spit out: "What the hell kind of name is Ranzel D'Kar?"

"It's a Barridian name, but I shall explain in time."

Leo shook his head. "No, no. There'll be no explaining. I have had a very, _very _bad day, and I am not in any mood to have a complete psycho in my house."

Ranzel turned his eyes on Leo, a glint of humour dancing there. "Of course not, and that is why you're going to sit down and listen to what I have to say."

"Why should I want to do that?"

Tapping his nose, Ranzel said, simply, "Perhaps you should simply wait, and find out."

Reluctantly, Leo sat down, a little of his fury gone. The calmness of this man seemed to surround him, leaving him with a strange feeling in his throat.

"I will tell you what I can do for you when you have heard me out. It will be worth your while, I assure you. It's a long story, but I'll shorten it a little for your convenience."

Leo looked as though he wished to interrupt. The last thing he wanted to do was listen to a long, boring story, but Ranzel cut in before he could say anything.

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a great Galactic Empire, run by evil men known as the Sith. The only people to oppose them were the Jedi, who had been so drastically reduced in numbers that it was down to very few to hold them off.

"They fought like this until the Empire seemed to diminish. And indeed it did. The Jedi began to increase in numbers, but there is an eternal balance between good and evil. The more Jedi there were, the more Sith formed, in secret.

"The Skywalker clan reformed the Jedi Council, which had been dissolved for a century. The Empire reformed too, they spread into the far reaches of the galaxy, then beyond its boundaries. Working better for what they had learnt. They took no chances. Neither did the Jedi. They sent out feelers into the far reaches of the Universe to seek more Jedi, to extend the reach of the Council. They were…"

Leo interrupted. He had been stunned when Ranzel had began speaking about a different galaxy, now Leo was sure he was trapped in a room with a diehard sci-fi nut, and he was determined not to listen any more.

"And you expect me to believe this rubbish?"

"Yes, I do." Ranzel turned his eyes up to Leo, studying him intently. "This is real, and it is not for you to believe it. It is for you to fight for."

"Hah!" Leo stood up, shaking his head. "Fight for what? This is ridiculous…"

"If you do not fight, your planet will be destroyed."

Leo burst out laughing. "Prove it."

"I shouldn't have to. You should be able to feel the truth in your heart." Ranzel looked at the redhead sternly. For a moment, Leo felt like a school boy having been told to stand in the corner.

He got over it quickly. Pointing at the door, a little of his fury ebbed back. "Get out. I'm not listening to any more of your ridiculous stories."

"I know what it is that troubles you. You fear for…"

"Shut up and get out." Leo snapped, losing his patience swiftly.

"Fine..." Ranzel surrendered, stepping away. "I shall bide my time." He was gone in seconds – Leo wasn't even sure he'd seen him leave.

Leo stood shaking for a long time, calming himself. When he was adequately relaxed, he phoned for a taxi, and then stepped outside, seizing his coat on the way. He was going to the hospital to see his mother. At least no one could bother him there.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ranzel swept to the edge of the bed, his robes grazing along the floor. As usual he was utterly unhurried. Gently he touched his palm to the red haired woman's head. She was trapped in her mind. Her escape was beyond that which these people understood. But where Ranzel came from, it was an easy process to lead her back to freedom.

He sighed softly. He didn't want to have to use blackmail in convincing this boy to join him. It was the way of the Dark Side. But it was for the good fight, like the Jedi Mind Trick.

Running his hand to her throat, Ranzel could check her breathing, her pulse - even just how strong the Force was that remained within her. It wasn't dulled yet; it was still strong. But it wasn't the same as what he'd felt in Leo. This was just the Force contained in any living being. It was not the Force of a Jedi.

Perhaps that made it easier. She would certainly submit to the healing process a lot easier.

Ranzel lifted his eyes to the lights above him. One of them was flickering irritably. The hospital was decrepit. Ranzel would sure that they wouldn't keep her long. They would consider her as simply a waste of resources…

He'd come here looking just for Leo, without the permission of the council. Earth was pre-First Contact. It was considered unworthy, a useless asset, which in capturing would be far too much effort. But it was yet another home of the Human species. These Terrans were certainly as resilient as any other of their seed.

The Barridian species had been seeded by the Human gene too. They were very close although Barridia was a little drier than this planet. It had a lower population, and far less pollution – but it had managed space travel a millennia ago. When the Jedi Council had begun to take the gifted, they were welcome. Barridia was impressed with the ways of the Force, and pleased to join the ranks of planets which had already donated youth to the Temple.

The Jedi Council and the Union of Planets fought a good war in keeping the Empire on the very edges of this Galaxy – to stop their continuing spread as a plague to the Universe. The Barridians loved their Galaxy as it was, and were willing to fight too.

But the Humans were different. They had not achieved anything more than a walk on their pathetic moon, and hadn't come into contact with any other creature more substantial than their own shadow.

The Empire had spread; their dark tendrils slithering further and further into the depths of their Galaxy. The Jedi were now fighting a war based on even ground, and they were slowly being driven back, destroyed Knight by Knight.

So now, the Council were desperate, and yet they still refused to go beyond the boundaries of what was familiar. They would still not visit the planets which were off limits – and nor would they take on an older Padawan, especially not one at an age like eighteen.

Leo – who was so very full of anger – would be everything the Council was afraid of and more. Ranzel suspected it might be nearly impossible to keep him on the side of the Jedi, but he had a substantial power, which might turn the tide for them.

But if Ranzel thought that now, why was he still intent on training the youth. He had settled on Earth when he saw the orb in his star charts. It was a beautiful marble of a planet, and he was confident it had exactly the Padawan he was searching for.

However, Ranzel was still unsure why he was so determined, especially after discovering Leo's flaws.

"Because you do believe in him..."

Ranzel lifted his eyes. His own master stood opposite him; except he didn't, because he had been dead for a year now. He merely appeared as a spirit.

Jara Melamatar, a tired old Almorelian with his fleshy hair held back behind his head, settled his large, oval eyes on him. He had no mouth, but he seemed to speak anyway. It wasn't like telepathy. No, Jara seemed to have spoken as though to the room.

"If I believe in him, why am I so afraid of his potential power?"

Jara's eyes changed colour. His ears, which were pointed, twisted back slightly. Ranzel identified this as a smile, without thinking about it.

"Why else would you be here?" Jara said, softly.

Ranzel smiled too, and he leant back. "Perhaps it is simply my own stubbornness? I insisted on coming here. Maybe I seek a challenge? Maybe it is pride?"

"You...?" Jara then squealed; a high pitch sound that made Ranzel's ears hurt a little. His eyes went white for a few moments, and Ranzel shook his head.

"There's no need to laugh at me, Master."

"Is there not, Ranzel? You were such a good student."

"So you say."

"And that is how I know it is not pride." Jara said, firmly, smiling again. "But perhaps…you must be careful it is not pride and recognition you seek." There was a warning in the old Knight's tone.

Ranzel took a moment to understand what he had missed, and Jara crossed around the bed to stand beside him. "You will do well, Ranzel. I do not, nor have not ever doubted you."

Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Jara faded out, as though he were a hologram that had just been turned of. Without turning, Ranzel knew why.

Leo had just walked into his mother's room.

"How did you follow me here?" Leo hissed, staring down at the older man.

Ranzel looked amused. He quirked his eyebrow in the other's direction quickly, and then looked back down. "Since I arrived here first, I would endeavour to ask the same question of you."

Steps heavy with his fury, Leo marched into the room and made his way to the side of his mother's bed. Ranzel stepped back defensively, letting the boy take the dominant position.

"How did you know I was coming here?" His voice was laced with venom, and it was soft, as though he was making an effort to not simply lash out at the other man.

Ranzel concentrated on the Force, tried to set calming waves about the youth.

"I know a lot about you, Black." Ranzel replied steadily.

"Do you? And just how do you know?" Leo's eyes burned in the reflection of his red hair, and then a spark of something that might have been understanding shot behind his eyes. "You're not…"

"No, I'm not your father. But I do have an interest in you."

Ranzel stepped forwards now, aware that he had his hand back on the situation. He reached his hand out over Leo's mother's forehead.

Leo stepped back instinctively, and then looked as though he might object when Ranzel touched his mother. He clamped his mouth shut though.

"Manila will die if she stays here," Ranzel said after a few long moments, lifting his firm eyes once more to Leo's. "You know that, don't you?"

Steadying his breathing, Leo could only reply, "Yes." He couldn't show just how afraid he was for his mother, but his broken voice betrayed him. "How did you know her name?"

Ranzel lifted his free hand to the book that was set on the monitor beside her bed. It said 'Manila Black' in bold Times New Roman. "We have the medicine to help her," Ranzel went on. "You must believe me."

The stranger looked so much as though he was telling the truth that for a moment Leo might have believed him, until he remembered the terrible yarn that Ranzel – if that was even his real name – had wove for him back at the house.

Leo leant forwards and slapped Ranzel's hand away from his mother. "I can't believe you. I can't believe in aliens, of Galactic Councils, or whatever the hell else you were talking about."

"Can you not? What can you believe in?"

"Solid evidence; I only believe in what I see."

"Then you will never be able to use the Force."

"Well good." Leo looked down at his mother, but then something happened. A noise as he had never heard before sang in the air in Ranzel's direction. He leant back from the bed and turned in Ranzel's direction, his mouth open as though to say something. But he came face to face with something he'd never seen before.

It looked like a sword, but it seemed to be made of coloured energy. And it hummed.

"What…what's that?" he said, disbelievingly.

"It's a lightsaber; A Jedi weapon."

"It's real…?"

"As real as you and me," Ranzel answered, bringing it away from Leo, who had reached out as though to touch it. "It is a dangerous weapon. One strike from it on full power can sever almost anything."

Leo realised he hadn't been breathing, and his mouth had fallen over, like that of a basking shark.

Looking amused, Ranzel powered down the lightsaber and hung it at his belt.

"Will you believe me yet?"

Leo wanted to, but he still wanted more. "If you're from space, you have to prove it to me."

"You must decide now." Ranzel insisted, softly. "I do not want to risk detection by your agencies. I will only leave in the shuttle once. Do you understand? If you intend to come with me, we must organise your mother's movement, and take her with us. I can provide a private ambulance, and we will transport her to the shuttle."

Leo bit his lip. It was a big decision to make. But if this man was as true as the blade he held at his hip…maybe his mother did have a chance.

He couldn't deny her that, could he?

And if Ranzel did turn out to be just another crazy old coot…well, he wouldn't have lost anything but a little time.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Why exactly was he going along with this? Leo wondered as he helped Ranzel to load the trolley up into the back of the van. His mother was on life support systems, the gentle blip of the machines going on even as Leo pressed a quick kiss to her hand, and jumped out of the back of the ambulance.

Climbing into the front seat beside the crazy man, Leo could only chide himself over his decisions. This was stupid. Space travel didn't exist – and if it did, he would have known about it.

Ranzel looked utterly calm, and a slight curve of a smile hovered at the edge of his lips. Leo remembered that it was dangerous to catch a ride with strangers. He laughed inwardly at the memory. He certainly shouldn't blindly trust this man – but he was – even though Ranzel's story was so far exaggerated, it made Leo's mind whirl.

He certainly didn't look as though he knew how to drive, if that was any defence to his ridiculous story.

Right now, he was fumbling with the gear-stick. And no sooner had he started the ambulance, but it stalled.

Leo shook his head and looked up at Ranzel steadily. "Do you even know how to drive this thing?"

"Well…it can't be too different from a Speeder, can it?"

Leo shook his head and glared at him. "I don't suppose you have a licence, either."

"Of course I haven't!" Ranzel looked appalled. "I'm from another planet!"

Leo sighed. "It really isn't that hard. Look…I'll drive. Cause let's face it…who's going to pull over an ambulance?" He pushed open the door and jumped down, circling to the other side. "I don't feel good about it mind, so you'd better not be lying." He gave Ranzel a stern look, and then leapt up into the seat that the Jedi had recently abandoned.

"Okay. Seatbelt..." He pulled it across. "Check mirrors."

Eventually – after bickering with Ranzel for several moments over exactly how to put on his 'restraining device' – Leo pulled the ambulance smoothly out of the bay. It was just like driving a car, Leo realised to his own amusement – except that you were much higher, and there was a button that turned the lights on. He was tempted to push it – but the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to their ambulance.

Trundling down the road, Leo had to pay a great deal of attention. Most traffic was hardly courteous, and tended to try and squeeze in front rather than be stuck behind the old ambulance. To make matters worse, Ranzel kept pointing out where they should be, with seemingly no ability to understand the one way system.

"We should be over there," he would say, and when Leo explained it again, he would mutter to himself about uninitiated worlds, and their inability to fly their vehicles over buildings, instead of wandering around them.

Finally they managed to get off the busy ring road and struggle through the commercial zone within to the docks beyond.

The docks were still in minor use. Occasionally a container ship would sweep through, and every small company that wanted something shifted a long way cheaply would be queued up for it. Their containers were all stacked up in massive warehouses, waiting to be dragged by crane onboard ship.

It was a perfect place to hide a shuttle…if it existed.

They drove the ambulance straight in, unquestioned by the sleepy guard at the gate. They stopped only when they had driven inside one of the massive warehouses, pulling up beside a decrepit old case that was marked JEDI on the outside in bold red lettering.

Would he go to so much effort if it wasn't real? Leo felt a terrible thrill rush through him at the possibilities. If the shuttle was real then everything that he had been told was real too; Aliens, spaceships, Empires intent on the complete control of the entire Universe! How long had it been happening?

Most importantly, Leo insisted, solemnly, through the thrill of endless possibilities, would Ranzel really be able to cure his mother, like he said he could?

Ranzel had leapt down as soon as they stopped, looking relieved, and he crossed over to the container and pressed his hand against it. He ran his fingers back to the letters, firmly pressing his palm against the J in JEDI.

There was a hissing noise, and the container opened smoothly, and Ranzel stepped out of the way. It was opening further, the sides of the massive container moving down in a steady arc, although there were no visible mechanics controlling it. Leo stared in awe as the contents of the container began to become visible.

A shuttle – its grey sides pot marked with what looked like burns and paint scraped off in places – appeared little by little. Its window was a sharp black that contrasted bleakly with the dull colour that the rest of the ship was covered with.

"It's true…" Leo breathed, looking at the shuttle.

"Of course it's true." Ranzel looked at him sharply. "What did you expect?"

Moving forwards, Leo touched the outside of the shuttle. Whatever it was made of, the metal felt warm, instead of the chill he'd expected. Ranzel was standing back, tapping at his wristwatch, and suddenly the shuttle let out a hiss much like the container had, and a door mere inches from where Leo was standing began to swing open in response.

"I'll get the shuttle ready for take off. Bring her inside." Ranzel dashed into the open hole, leaving a stunned Leo behind. This was an adventure of a lifetime – and Leo suspected that it had only just begun.

"Activating engines," Ranzel said, pushing the thrusters up to slowly build up the power. He stopped it a quarter of the way up and brought his left hand up to one of the many manoeuvring sticks built into the control board.

The shuttle swung around slowly, moving forwards steadily as it did so, and Leo, stunned at how smooth the motion was, held tightly to the arms of his chair. Ranzel was much better at this than he'd been at trying to start the ambulance.

Carefully they flew across the warehouse, drawing up towards the light of the warehouse door and gliding through the entrance with room to spare.

Now they were in sunlight, where anyone might be able to see them.

Ranzel swung the shuttle's nose up roughly, pushing the power the rest of the way up, and engaging an extra thrust of power to send them up as fast as possible. The feeling wasn't much of anything, to Leo's disappointment. It was more like the feeling of a mini in first gear than of a roller coaster.

"Dampeners," Ranzel said, flicking his eyes over his shoulder. "They simulate the effects of being at one speed, even when the ship is nearer to being torn apart."

"How did you…?"

"The Force," Ranzel replied bluntly. "Relax, and enjoy the ride."

Leo couldn't enjoy the ride much more than he already was. They were sweeping up at an incredible speed. He couldn't see the Earth below, but he knew that the houses must be pretty small by now.

They began to sweep through the cloud layer. For a second there was only whiteness, and as soon as they had plunged into it they were free again. The sky looked paler the further up they went.

The view was beginning to disappear though. The black screen turned dark on the inside, making it quite impossible to see outside. Leo opened his mouth to complain, but then understood as they became shrouded in a fireball. The glow made it quite light inside despite the darkening of the shield. It was like sunlight. If he'd looked straight into that he'd have been blinded.

As suddenly as it had begun the brightness ended, and everything was dark again outside. The lights inside the shuttle blinked on and off, and slowly the darkness of the screen dissipated, revealing pinpricks of light in every direction. The stars, Leo realised, with another dive of excitement. This wasn't a dream, this was reality. He was in space, with an alien, in a spacecraft orbiting the Earth!

"Can I…?"

He didn't have to finish his question. Ranzel touched another button and the view automatically changed. The Earth was there, filling half of the image; a beautiful marble ball that glimmered blue and green in the viewer; ever moving.

Leo bit his tongue, as though all this was about to disappear. It was incredible. Beyond anything he might possibly have been able to imagine. He wore a bright grin, even as the shuttle sped onwards, and Ranzel couldn't help but laugh when he looked up at him.

Even as he stared out the window they swept onwards through familiar space, the sun at their backs. The moon came into view around the horizon, climbing up into the black depths of space in a way that was alien even to Leo. This was such a surreal thing; far beyond anything he had ever imagined.

The ship swept through space in a smooth curve, as though to collide with the moon, at unbelievable speed, and Leo realised he didn't know where they were going from here. He glanced up at Ranzel.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to rejoin my ship - the Renzucon. The shuttle is fast, but it's not capable of anything greater than sub-light speeds." Ranzel glanced up at Leo, who looked both stunned and amazed at once. It was a relieving difference from the narrow minded irritation that had plagued him on the planet's surface.

Another wave of excitement rose up where the first one was still moving. Another ship; a bigger, faster ship…there was only one word to describe the elation which he now felt; Cool.

As they approached the moon, Leo remembered some of the things he'd learnt about it. Most importantly, that you never saw the dark side of the moon from Earth; the same side always being presented in the night sky.

So was this where the ship was? It must be. The little shuttle plunged forwards, coming into the thick shadow of the moon. He certainly couldn't see anything, but Ranzel directed him to a little monitor that showed in green. He touched it with his fingertips twice, and it zoomed in far enough to show the moon as a large green blob, and the two blips that represented ships, with their names next to them.

They were very close now, and the blips were closing swiftly. "Why don't you decelerate, while I activate the bay doors?" Ranzel said, before moving away from the console. "Hurry up now."

Leo stared at him and then moved over to the console in question. He'd seen how Ranzel had accelerated…so surely decelerating was similar. He curled his fingers around the thrust driver and slowly levered it back down, feeling despite the dampeners the steady slowing of the vessel.

Suddenly there was a burst of brilliant light ahead of him. It was enough to light the dim outline of the ship itself. It seemed odd in shape, but Leo would ask about it later.

Right now he had to get back out the way, because Ranzel had returned to the control board, and was beginning to ease the shuttle into the brilliant light.

Just as soon as they were in, the bay doors snapped down behind them, and Ranzel looked over his shoulder at Leo. "Just wait a moment till the shuttle bay recompresses, and then you can get out and explore."

Leo didn't think there could be anything more exciting than exploring a space ship. And considering what Ranzel had told him – there was a lot more to explore than just this ship. There were whole planets, whole galaxies beyond the hull of this ship. Alien races and an evil group who wanted to have complete control of the universe. If he had ever thought of the Earth as complicated, and too big to explore, he was now stunned by the enormity of everything – how much knowledge there was that he would no doubt ever come across.

But what did he have to do with it? Why was he here? He wished he hadn't yelled at Ranzel that first time, and let him explain himself. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know about why he was important to this effort. But he had no chance to ask him right now. Perhaps in time…perhaps after he'd explored what he had to explore so far. Maybe the older man would teach him to fly, too?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Slowly Leo stepped down out of the door of the shuttle. The cargo bay was recompressed and the air was fresh and warm.

Ranzel stepped out behind him. "Don't be afraid," he said softly, in response to Leo's timid attitude. "It's not about to disappear from under you. Not now, at least. This system's really quite safe."

Leo turned towards the other man as he stepped away, a stunned look on his face. "What do you mean 'not now'?"

"We're at war. I did explain that, didn't I?" Ranzel stopped in his step to regard Leo. "This isn't a walk in the park. You're coming to be trained with me."

Leo frowned, looking back at the shuttle briefly. "Why? Why me...?"

Ranzel shook his head. "Because you have the abilities we need. No, nothing that you already understand…" He took a step closer to Leonard. "You have the power to use the Force; the power to become a magnificent warrior, like thousands of Jedi before you."

"You mentioned the Jedi before," Leo said softly, "But I can't remember what you said. I was so angry with you."

"Then that is the first lesson you must learn," Ranzel said swiftly. "It is anger that can cloud a Jedi from the Force, and lead him instead to the Dark Side. It can make him forget everything he's learnt, and fight only for himself, instead of for everything, making him incapable of summoning the true power of the Force."

"Tell me about the Jedi. Please."

Ranzel shook his head. "You have much to learn, but I will not tell you everything at once. Right now, we have to get back to the more populated part of the galaxy, and install your mother in a medical facility."

The Jedi left the hold, pursued by Leo. The ship really wasn't that big, it turned out. They were in the cockpit very shortly, and again the view of space sent Leo's head reeling. They were really here; in a fixed orbit behind the shadow of the moon. It was unbelievable!

He sat down in the seat that Ranzel didn't take and looked up at the stars, feeling a little queasy as he did so. He could see so far that he began to lose the feeling of what was under his feet.

Ranzel snapped into his daze. "You see that green button just next to the three red ones, and under the number readout? Tap it once."

Leo leant over and did just that. The numbers began to whirl, and he wondered why, looking up at Ranzel questioningly.

"It's called the navi-computer. It calculates just what course we should set ourselves on, depending on exactly where the planets ought to be in their orbits, stars - etcetera. You have to admit we'd be in a bit of a mess if we managed to slam straight into a planet. And you don't want to know what happens if you hit a black hole while in hyperspace." Ranzel winced and went back to what he was doing on the other side of the panel.

The numbers finished moving, and Leo looked down at them as the console beeped at him. "What do I do now?"

"Tap the red light directly next to the green one from earlier. It'll send the numbers from the navi-computer to the mainframe."

Leo did so, looking across at Ranzel, who looked up. "I'll be initiating the hyperspace drive now, so strap in. Just tap the button on the arm of your chair. These aren't as rudimentary as your 'seatbelts.'"

Grinning at the memory Leo tapped the little light on his arm and was instantly pulled into the back of his seat by the belt. No sooner had he recovered from that little surprise but the ship lurched, and he suddenly felt like he'd left his stomach far behind him – say, a light year or so.

The stars streaked past them on either side, more like streaks than actual objects – but Leo was even more aware than ever of the number of them, and if what Ranzel had told him was true, each of these suns might be the home of a different alien race.

And Leo was going to be able to live here amongst the stars. It was almost dreamlike – although it had never been in the realms of Leo's imagination before. Now he could finally understand the possibilities that space travel entailed. And he had a positive start. He already knew post-light speeds were possible – and that there were alien races out there.

Eat that, Sci-fi people.

"It's a long way from here to Xircamede." Ranzel said softly. "Perhaps you'd like something to eat before we get there?"

Leo studied him cautiously. "What kind of food?"

Ranzel let a grin slip over his features. "Listen Leonard, you're going to be eating alien food for a long time, so you'd better get used to it. We've got general army rations, but when we get back to the fleet we'll have use of a synthesiser again."

"How does it work, this synthesiser of yours?"

"It breaks down anything put into it into proteins, and then rebuilds them into whatever you want to eat. It's quite safe, and it allows no waste."

Leo still looked cautious – but at least he wouldn't have to eat it yet.

"I'm sure you'll find something edible, Leonard," Ranzel explained as he came to his feet. "Many of the beings in the Universe are similar to those of your kind. We Barridians are, for instance. The only difference I would suggest between our species is that a lot of the foodstuffs that grew on our planet were sweet in nature. Our teeth are much more resistant to decay than yours. Negatively, however, we require a great deal of sugar to survive."

Ranzel smiled, and Leo was more aware now of a slightly silvery sheen to his teeth, as though there was some metal in their composition.

Leading Leo down from the cockpit again, Ranzel began to speak in a soft tone.

"The Jedi have held the flame of freedom for many millennia. They have fought for the good in this Universe, since before we can even remember. The beginnings of the Jedi are mere myth. They go back beyond the galaxy that was the origin of the Counsels.

As far back as we can actually trace our knowledge now, is to the Skywalkers – and perhaps a little further before them. A long time ago, just after the birth of the Empire, all the other Jedi were wiped out. The Skywalkers were the last Jedi in that Galaxy." Ranzel paused here to glance at Leo, who this time was far more interested. "They beat back the Empire, and slowly regained their numbers. More Jedi were born, their bloodline extended. But they were still weak."

The Empire itself spread. It gambled, by leaving its own Galaxy and spreading further into the Universe. The Jedi knew that to survive they must move too. They sent out feelers into the Galaxies closest to them, formed Jedi Counsels there, to enlist and train more in the use of the Force."

Ranzel looked grave. They had come out into a large room, similar to where they had stored the shuttle, only the bay doors were covered in a thick substance that looked like glass.

"The original Galaxy, as far as we know, was overrun by a mass invasion of the Sith. It is now their stronghold, and they fight outwards, always expanding. We can only fight against them and try to gain back the space we have lost.

"We have the help of the Union of Planets, of course, just as the Empire forced the help of those that they have enslaved. All these people want freedom – it is not just the Jedi that fight."

Leo took a seat slowly, and Ranzel went to one of the bulkheads, tapping at an opening to reveal a great container full of rations. He returned with a few objects wrapped in silver paper, and sank down opposite Leo.

"This is where you come in. The Empire is still on the outskirts of this galaxy, but we have not the numbers to fight them. The Union of Planets can not defend against the power of the Dark Side. They can send fighter against fighter, but the Sith themselves – their power would overwhelm them all.

They will be on us soon. Usually we wouldn't take those from uninitiated planets, and certainly not anyone as old as you. But we need capable fighters now, and already we have claimed on every possible initiate within this Galaxy."

Ranzel paused, and then lowered his head as he stripped one of the bars of sticky food from its packet. "There is another reason…" he mused, softly.

Leo was unsure if Ranzel was going to continue. He wanted to know what this other reason was, but Ranzel interrupted his curiosity with another thing entirely. "See? It really isn't that bad."

Realising he had simply sat with the silver package set before him, Leo began to unwrap the ration slowly. He pulled the covering away and lifted the dark green bar to his lips, biting down on it.

It was sweet, and tasted a lot like seaside rock, only instead of being hard, it was soft and chewy. Leo knew, though, that such a food would certainly not be able to sustain him. It was far too sweet. He looked up at the Jedi as he swallowed hard, forcing the sweetness down his throat.

"No. It isn't bad at all. I couldn't eat it forever. It's too sweet."

"Too sweet...? This is so bland…"

"Too sweet," Leo repeated with a grin.

Their conversation was interrupted abruptly as the ship suddenly lurched to a stop, engines squealing.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The ship was making an angry beeping noise, as they sat stunned by the table.

"We shouldn't be there yet," Ranzel said, finding his feet.

"So why have we slowed down?" Leo asked, stupidly, dropping his food and rising after the older man. Ranzel had already crossed the room, and he was going at a fast trot back up towards the control room.

Leo followed him. The main screen showed nothing more threatening than stars as they arrived, but Ranzel alerted Leo to a screen similar to the one in the shuttle, showing their little green dot, and two amber coloured dots nearby.

"Yellow means that they're unidentified," Ranzel clarified, bringing himself down into the seat. "Let's see if we can get a fix on them."

Leo sank down into the seat beside Ranzel. "Can I help?"

"Yes. The ship dropped to null to avoid those vessels, so bring her back to full speed. If they're enemies they'll try to give chase. And start the navi computer again. We need to try and get out of here."

Ranzel nodded and tapped the navi computer's activator, before bringing his hand up around the thrusters again. He brought it up to full speed quickly, and the ship lurched and then fell still again.

"Not too fast," Ranzel snapped, "Try it again." And then the Jedi span in his seat and stood up, tapping some of the buttons on the ceiling.

Leo looked back at the control and brought the thrusters driver back to its original position. This time when he moved it, he charged it up slowly. He felt the ship move underneath him, coming back up to full speed again.

"Very good! Now…" Ranzel leant over his shoulder and tapped a blue button, and a screen sprang up from within it. "They're following us, so let's have a good look at them, hmm?"

The screen that had come up had an image of two sleek, black fighters on it, and Ranzel touched it with his fingertips. They appeared in the main viewer, and he whistled. "Advanced fighters, it seems. Usually they're in squadrons, commanded by a Sith and his apprentice."

"What's different about these two?"

"Well, these fighters are new for a start. I've never seen their design before. And their weapons are unrecognised." He glanced down at the navi computer, which was still reeling. "It'll take longer if we're moving, so we'll have to hold them off until we're ready. They can't follow us if we go into light-speed."

Leo nodded and looked down at the screen which was in front of him. The ships were certainly giving chase, but they had the advantage, in that by appearing from nowhere they had given them a bit of a shock. Or did they? By coming in on this little secret, had they signed their death sentence?

The worst thing was the chilling feeling which closed around him as he looked at the two fighters. A darkness that seemed to make his flesh tingle, and his heart go cold in his chest.

Suddenly one of the ships flashed on the screen before him, and Leo realised with a sick feeling that they had begun to fire.

"Shields are up." Ranzel said, standing up to do something else again.

The ship suddenly groaned from behind them, and there was a loud hiss as the blast doors locking the cabin off came down behind them.

"Relax. That's meant to happen. It stops us being pulled out if the hull gets punctured. And yes, the same thing is protecting your mother," Ranzel remarked, almost relaxed.

Leo looked sideways at another display, this one in green again. It showed an image of the ship in a plan view. It looked a lot like a fossil Leo had seen as a child, he realised to his own wry amusement, the one which resembled a woodlouse, except that it had small wings on either side, which appeared to be mounted with weapons of some kind. He glanced up at Ranzel, the question on the edge of his tongue. Was he sure though? This wasn't a game, this was reality.

Ranzel's exclamation made him sure. "Their weapons are cutting through our shields. I don't know how…"

Leo turned in his chair and looked up at the other man. "Are there any weapons pointing backwards?"

"Yes…" Ranzel said slowly. "But you've never used an antimatter canon before."

"But if I don't learn now, I never will." Leo gave Ranzel a firm look and the Jedi nodded and moved to lean over his shoulder. He hit a button and pulled out another panel over Leo's lap, then corrected the view to show a targeting point in the centre. "If you're so sure you can fight it; then fight…I haven't any time to teach you how."

Leo nodded and turned to the controls. It couldn't be so hard. First of all there was a small screen to one side, showing him, presumably, how charged the antimatter canon was, and then there was the stick at the far right, which he automatically seized, correcting the aim of the weapon experimentally. The black fighters began to swerve, and Leo knew that the movement of the canon had alerted them.

"Don't get angry if you miss them. They've only survived this long by avoiding being hit," Ranzel said, softly, as though he was entirely unflustered by the experience. He was doing several things at once, but Leo had no interest in what he was doing at all. Instead he was bringing the canon round to train on the closer of the two ships.

He fired, pressing the button under the top of the joystick and leaning forwards. The leader dipped his right wing and the blast missed him entirely. As Ranzel prepared for another shot, the ship rolled over and stopped in a new position too low for Ranzel to hit him, and the second ship fired at the position of the canon. There was an explosion, but it seemed to miss the canon.

Leo took a moment, leaning over to study the display of the ship again. There wasn't just one canon. Another was marked in broken white underneath the ship's green marks. If he used that canon, he might be able to surprise the leader.

Glancing briefly in Ranzel's direction he could tell that the Jedi was far too busy to aid him. He looked back to the display, keeping his hand on the joystick and absently bringing the weapon to bear in the direction of the second ship and then fired a distracting shot, knowing he would miss. The moment the shot was fired he threw his chair across the cockpit and hit the button that matched the one Ranzel had used to summon up the weapons controls.

"What're you doing?" Ranzel hissed, but he didn't move to stop Leo, he was far too busy to interrupt him.

In seconds, Leo had the second panel out, but he couldn't activate the screen. It was stuck. The panel made an irritated chugging noise when he tried again.

"I can't get the screen up," he growled in Ranzel's direction, and kicked back across to the other screen. The first ship was coming closer, taking aim with its penetrating canons on something vital, he didn't doubt.

He shot at the ship, furiously, irritated, but couldn't aim low enough to catch the escaping ship.

"Forget the screen, then," Ranzel said, calmly. "You don't need it to see them. Just relax, find them with your mind's eye."

Don't need to see them, Leo cursed to himself, coming back over to the broken weapons panel and studying it for a few long moments. How could he be expected to hit something he couldn't see? Another glance at the screen opposite reminded him just how dire the situation was. He had to at least try, even if he couldn't really use this 'Force' Ranzel talked about, and had to rely on a lucky shot instead.

Relaxing, he studied what he could see before him. On the screen he wasn't using, he was using the starboard canons facing backward. The fighter had dropped in the direction of the canon which he was now sat before the controls of, but he couldn't see him because the display had malfunctioned. None the less, he should be there; and probably in fact sat right in the centre of the view screen.

He took a deep breath. If he missed, he might at least turn his attention away from the ship long enough for Ranzel to get to light speed. There were two numbers left on the navi computer. But maybe he didn't have to miss. He sucked a breath through his teeth and then ever so gently, so as not to move the canon at all, let out the bright burst of its weaponry, before looking expectantly upwards, barely daring to hope.

But he couldn't miss. His life depended on it.

Something flashed in the main view screen, and something black span away into the depths of stars, almost hitting the second fighter. Had he destroyed it? There was only one way to affirm it. He looked over at the first of the displays, the green one. One of the yellow marks had disappeared from view. It was unbelievable…a complete miracle…

The second ship was pursuing doggedly. Leo moved to the other control, but Ranzel had stopped what he had doing, and had moved to touch his hand to Leo's shoulder. Leo understood why when he looked down. The navi computer was whirling on its last number.

"Well done," Ranzel said when the ship had finally given the great lurch that announced its return to light speed, leaving the second ship floundering behind. "They were aiming to take out our engines. We'd have been dead in the water."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The ship came out of light speed again on the approach to a beautiful blue and gold planet. In the distance, Leo could see another ship, this one large, smooth and silver. The front of it was dislike in shape, but behind that it had long prongs that supported an arc between them, pointing backwards this time, along the parallel with the disk.

Something beeped loudly on the board and Ranzel moved over to tap it very gently with his fingertips.

"Nine three two epsilon zero six. This is the Renzucon," Ranzel intoned, without emotion.

"Welcome back, D'Kar," chimed a woman's voice, firmly. "We wondered where you wandered off to."

Ranzel was smiling shyly beside him, and he replied to that with. "I was visiting an ageing friend. I have a woman here in desperate need of medical help. Can you send a medic shuttle to the landing point?"

"Very well, I'll get straight on it. I won't hold up the bandwidth – but I'll expect you to make time to see me after you land."

"Okay, Bre-jo, I'll do that."

Ranzel licked his lips and closed the communication, letting the ship come in steadily. It swept down through the atmosphere of the blue and gold planet, in a great fireball, and fell into a beautiful, gold coloured cloud layer.

Leo realised that the planet had a yellowish coloured sky, and that the seas themselves were a beautiful gold colour. Most of the ground seemed to be covered with a blue grass, though some of the mountains were dark brown with gold coloured covering of an icy substance.

"There are some robes in that storage cabinet just there. Pull them on over what you've already got."

Nodding, Leo opened said cabinet and pulled out a set of dark brown robes. He winced painfully. "Do you really expect me to wear this?"

"Always," Ranzel insisted, without looking up.

The planet was well colonised – built out of silver, grey and black buildings that came quite high. Avoiding the smaller traffic, the space ship flew across the very tops of the buildings to the spaceport beyond, coming down into one of the open hangers.

Leo could hear the loud hissing of the repulsorlifts as they gently brought the ship down against the surface beneath. It rocked momentarily and then fell still, before Ranzel began to switch off the computer systems.

Once everything was settled, Leo and Ranzel made their way down to transport the comatose woman from the Renzucon, bringing her out onto the breezy landing pad. Already the medic shuttle was there, and to Leo's surprise, a group of mismatched robots took her away.

He went to protest, but Ranzel silenced him with another look.

"Don't go getting me into trouble. I'll explain everything, I swear…just…don't talk to anyone," he said, lowly.

They left the platform, dropping down into the main city, and Leo suddenly realised just how busy this city was, and just how much he would have stuck out in his own clothes. Leo moved a little closer to Ranzel. He didn't want to get lost on this strange world.

"Don't worry, Leonard. Everyone here is far too intelligent to try and challenge a Jedi."

"But they would…if they could?" Leo asked, weakly, eyeing an alien with tentacles set into his cheeks, and sharp teeth.

Ranzel smiled. "If they could, perhaps, but you have nothing to fear; nothing at all. That is your second lesson."

Leo tried to remember what his first lesson was, but this made him almost lose Ranzel, and he trotted forwards to meet him, glancing around again.

"We'll be coming out into the commercial district in a moment. You must be careful not to become distracted, and lose me."

The younger nodded glumly and kept close to Ranzel, but as soon as they did come into the commercial zone, he couldn't help but avert his gaze from the Jedi. There were beautiful flowers that changed colours as he watched, dresses with extra arm holes, a dealer in blasters, a shopkeeper who seemed to be selling slugs on sticks to thankful passers by…

Leo stumbled to a stop, realising he had actually lost Ranzel – just as the Jedi had warned him not to…and then an arm fell on his shoulder.

He reacted before he even turned, instinctively backing a step away and raising his hands into fists before him. But even before he got round, he knew the defence wasn't necessary. Ranzel was looking back at him with cold determination, and one of the Jedi's eyebrows slowly rose higher than the other.

"Didn't I warn you to pay attention to me, Leonard?"

Leo took in a breath and relaxed his stance. A few people had looked towards him as he had reacted, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. Leo straightened up and lifted his eyes once more to Ranzel's. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"If you want to succeed you must listen to everything I teach you," Ranzel warned, firmly, but without any sign of irritation. "You must understand that whatever I have learnt I teach you only for your own good, not to torment you, but to help you survive."

Leo nodded and looked at his feet, seething a little. What did he expect? Leo had had a bad day, to say the least. He had almost killed his mother, got dumped by his not-even girlfriend, got yelled at by his best friend, followed by a psycho, found out that aliens existed, discovered that he was an important asset in some massive war, and blown up an attacking craft, just in time to avoid being turned into so much space dust…

And now he was being lectured on not paying attention.

"It won't happen again," Leo repeated, flicking his gaze upwards again. "What do you want me to say?"

Ranzel studied him for a moment. "What I want, is you to release your anger, but I can see that will take some time." He paused, and then shook his head. "Fear and anger both lead to the Dark Side. And I will not be wrong about you. I cannot be."

Ranzel turned away and moved into the crowd – and it was all Leo could do to follow him, and not get lost again.

Ranzel's apartment in this strange city was bare, and grey in colour. It was quite high up, and overlooked a good layer of busy metropolitan life. Outside, in the evening light, flying vehicles swept past the window as Leo watched.

Leo had managed to change finally into a set of clothes that matched the horrid robe that Ranzel was forcing on him, but at least he felt clean. Said Jedi was watching him tiredly now. It had been a long day, but it wasn't over yet. There was still much for Ranzel to do before he could have a little rest.

"I must go and visit Bre-jo, or I will find myself in some trouble," Ranzel said, interrupting the silence.

"Not yet," Leo replied, turning towards the older man slowly. "First of all you're going to fill me in on a few things; like why you think I might be able to help you at all."

Ranzel opened his mouth then sighed. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation," He stepped past Leo and sank down quietly on a chair, facing the large window.

"The truth is…" he leant his head back onto the headrest behind him, biting down his words and starting again after a moment. "The truth is that I'll only be able to train you if no one finds out."

Another sigh from Ranzel, and Leo took a moment to examine the Jedi's reflection in the window.

"Why so secretive?" he asked, after a moment's consideration.

"Because…if the Council learns I have taken on an outsider as a Padawan…" Ranzel shook his head. "You are too old, and too angry. But you're powerful enough to be what we need. The Council would forbid me to train you, in case you turned to the Dark Side but I…I believe in your ability, Leo."

Leo suddenly felt the weight of what Ranzel had just said crushing in around him.

"So I have to succeed, or…?"

"Or I shall have you taken from me, and I will be punished by the Council," Ranzel said, not looking up. He chose not to explain exactly how the Council might choose to punish him. "No, that is my problem and not yours…but you must understand. If they learn who you are before the right time there will be dire consequences. That is why you mustn't reveal yourself."

Ranzel studied the brown carpet as though it were the most interesting thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Leo spent a few moments considering what he had been told. He needed to comply, because his existence was as much at stake as the Jedi's. "Okay, I promise I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Will you get some sleep now?" Ranzel asked, after a few moments of wordless relief.

Leo shook his head and moved away from the window, turning his back on the reflection to look at the Jedi himself. "I don't think I can. This has been such a long, strange day."

The brown haired Jedi seemed to have recovered himself, correcting his position to sit serenely on the ugly, brown piece of furniture he had chosen to sit on. Leo went on, unperturbed by this serenity. "If I try to sleep, I'll remember that I'm on an alien planet… It's just so unbelievable. All of this, and we never knew it existed. It's…oh…" shaking his head, he wondered how he might possibly start to explain how overwhelmed he felt.

Ranzel rose in his chair and walked a few steps towards Leo. "I cannot imagine what you're going through," he said tenderly. "I've known only this since I was born. The old way of the Jedi was to take in children who showed signs of being capable and training them with others. The best were chosen by existing Knights to be trained on as their Padawans – until they were capable enough to take on Padawans of their own. I was lucky enough to be taken on by a Jedi myself."

He placed his hand on Leo's shoulder and looked down into his eyes quietly. "So as I didn't quite make as clear as I intended…I have grown up here, knowing about the extent of the Universe, about the war. I can't imagine just what it would be like to have grown up set apart like you have done, only to be thrown into this…but you must understand; we have very little hope."

"You have enough hope to count even me as an asset…You trust me too much," Leo said, keeping his gaze steadily on Ranzel.

"I have to trust you, if you are to be my Padawan. If we fight together, I need to know you won't accidentally take my head off with your lightsaber."

This made Leo smile, and he went to walk past Ranzel, and then paused. "Is there anything I can read…?"

"Yes, of course." Ranzel left the room, then returned and held out a data pad to Leo. "Just access the data-library; I'm sure you can find something to read on there."

Leo nodded, and Ranzel moved for the door once more, his robes swaying lightly around his feet. This time Leo didn't stop him. "When will you be back?"

"Oh…" Ranzel said, "I shouldn't expect it'll matter. You'll be asleep by the time I get back anyway." He smiled through his wavy hair at Leo, and then swept away, closing the door behind him.

Leo looked back at the data pad, and then sank down to find out just how it worked.

Bre-jo sat across from Ranzel D'Kar, her dark green hair tied neatly behind her head, the thin lines of her eyebrows furrowed together until they almost seemed to join in the middle. She looked dangerous, with her dragon-like, yellow eyes fixed on him like that. It was no surprise really, that meeting Bre-jo had taken a lot of effort on his behalf.

"That part of the galaxy is controlled by our forces," she said, sharply, although there was, what Ranzel considered to be a slight shake to her voice.

"Of course it is," Ranzel replied. "Do you think I would have risked a hyper space jump through Empire space?"

He leant back in his chair and watched the Malacite silently. Her clawed hands were set on the tabletop before her, and clenched into fists, so that the sharp talons were concealed in her palm. She closed her eyes and tried to relax a little, but relaxing was certainly not one of her fortes; not in the slightest. If anything, Ranzel was sure when she opened her eyes that she looked even angrier.

"So the Empire are testing their new weapons, and flaunting their power over our boundaries. I am glad you taught them such a lesson."

"Ah, I'd rather fly than fight, Bre-jo, you know that. It was my passenger who destroyed the fighter."

"Will you never take credit where it is due, Ranzel?" the Malacite asked; her voice cool again.

Ranzel smiled shyly and looked at the desk. "Especially not if it truly belongs to someone else… Shooting down a Sith fighter is not an easy feat. Trying to take out the leader first has ended many battles for us."

"Perhaps it was just a lucky shot."

Bre-jo didn't trust people easily, and didn't give credit to anyone that she hadn't befriended. Ranzel was one of these people, but anyone else was scorned until they had truly earned her respect.

Ranzel had only truly befriended her by saving her life, if truth be told, and since then it had both hindered and helped him to be connected to the Malacite in such a way.

"So these new weapons pierced your shields?" Bre-jo continued after a moment, breaking the quietness of the moment.

"Yes, they did. It was lucky they didn't hit our vital engines straight away. Another might not be so fortunate."

Bre-jo nodded and looked once more at Ranzel. "You did well, as usual, Ranzel. I'll make sure the fleet gets the information."

"I'm glad, Bre-jo. It was an honour to see you again my friend."

Ranzel stood slowly, and Bre-jo followed. "Of course – the life of a Jedi is a busy one." She smiled and then bowed.

The Jedi bowed in reply and then turned, leaving the office tiredly. It was about time he managed to get some rest, too, but there would be no such luck. No sooner had he left Bre-jo, but he received a call from the Jedi Council. There would be no more stalling.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The elders of the council studied Ranzel tiredly. Sitting in their chairs in the spacious room, they seemed to surround him with their power, watching him intensely. They were waiting for the answer to one of the Master's questions; which he had asked sharply the moment Ranzel had arrived.

"Well," Counsellor Azwey pushed, his sharp, black eyes fixed on him. "When do you intend to take another Padawan?"

Ranzel straightened up a little and met the other's gaze. "I fully intend to take another Padawan, but I have not yet seen one at the Academy that I am willing to trust my life with."

"Perhaps you are being a little unfair," another interrupted. This was a golden skinned woman who sat in the corner; Counsellor Wei. She looked over him in a way that seemed to be looking through him.

"It is only my responsibility as Jedi to consider taking a Padawan. It is not a necessity."

"But you will consider visiting the Academy again, won't you? Perhaps on the way to your next destination..?" Wei suggested, with a sly look in his direction.

"I will certainly stop on my way, if it is the decision of the council."

"It is," Azwey agreed, looking over at him in turn.

"Very well," Ranzel said coolly. "Would the council agree to hear my report?"

"That is, of course why you're here," another Counsellor suggested – this one non-humanoid, it's dark green face moving with great effort to form the words in Ranzel's language.

Ranzel nodded and looked silently upwards, beginning with the words he had been working on since he'd left.

"I spent a long time on the outskirts of our territory, as you can imagine. I also visited an old friend, who entrusted me to provide transport for his son to a safer place."

It was a lie. He hadn't visited an old friend, and Leo, who he had brought back with him, was certainly not the son of any old friend Ranzel had.

"On the return, we came into contact with…with Sith fighters. My computer caught them just in time. Any longer, and there would have been a collision, I'm sure of it. That is…if it was the work of my computer, and not…" he trailed off here.

"Then you are lucky, twice lucky considering you returned at all."

"It would have been simple to escape them in normal circumstances but…" Ranzel shook his head slowly. "They were new fighters. Their weapons…and their tactics…"

"What about them?"

"Their canons pierced my shields. The leader was attempting to bring his guns to bear on my engines when the good aim of my counterpart destroyed him. A second later…and we would have been dead to their attacks. We would have been captured."

"And taken to Darth Braxta I imagine. He does still seek your blood, does he not?"

"I imagine he does," Ranzel said coolly, looking to the dark cloaked figure who had spoken from the corner of the room. "And tell me, Eroth, does the Bounty Hunters Syndicate know you're still alive?"

"They have their suspicions, D'Kar." Eroth said, drawing back his hood and stepping forwards. His thick black hair was bound tightly behind his head, so that the long pony tail fell around his waist. His jaw was covered with the workings of a short beard, which had never changed much since Eroth had decided on the style. They had been in the Temple together – and it had been Eroth that Ranzel was fighting when Jara Melamatar chose him as Padawan.

They had been rivals since, in subtle ways.

"I'm sure they do, but you are far too clever for a mere bounty hunter."

"Yes…they certainly don't make them like they used to," Eroth remarked, smoothly.

"Your obsession for Bounty Hunter lore, Eroth, is beyond even me."

"Ladies," Wei interrupted, calling Ranzel's attention back to the room, "if I could call your attention from the obvious importance of your reunion to that of the Council meeting currently in session? Eroth Ra, as you are not a Council member yourself, I would suggest you not interrupt again."

Eroth nodded and pulled his hood up again, taking his seat by the great arched window in the darkness where he had been sitting before.

"Very well… Now, Ranzel, we will rely on you to find more information about those fighters you found. Who flew them? Who developed the ships?"

"They were definitely Sith." Ranzel replied softly. "I could feel the Dark Side flowing off them." Ranzel replied, interrupting Wei tenderly.

"None the less, I should like to know anything more you can find out." Wei insisted. Ranzel nodded obediently and Wei glanced at the other members, who were nodding their heads in agreement with her course of actions. "So be it… You know where to go?"

"Pentusar Spaceport," Ranzel said, feeling a knot grow momentarily in his throat. Leo would be thrown in with the worst of the galaxy at Pentusar. He would have to learn quickly if they were to survive their mission there.

"You will visit Cantauri on the way. I will personally inform the Masters there that you intend to examine their initiates." Wei paused and then looked down. "A visit to Pentusar would be the best way to introduce a new Padawan to their training," she said, encouragingly. If Ranzel didn't know she was trying to get him to take a new Apprentice from the Temple on Cantauri, he would have been sure she could see through him, and knew about Leo.

"I will do as the council wishes," Ranzel said, calmly.

"Then may the Force be with you, Ranzel D'Kar."

Ranzel bowed again, then turned on his heel and departed, watched by Eroth from the darkness under his hood. Only when Ranzel was gone did Eroth come to his feet.

"You know what it is you have to do?" Azwey said coolly as Eroth stepped once more before the council.

"Keep an eye on him. Yes, I think I can fathom the Council's commands. He won't be hard to track."

"Of course not," Wei said, softly. "Make sure that you are not seen. The Jedi Council will not be responsible if you make a mistake."

"I will not fail you," Eroth said, before turning into the darkness and disappearing himself.

Ranzel leant back, watching Leo over the top of his nose. He was relying on the youth to take off, as his first real bit of piloting. He'd help, if Leo got into trouble – but he was perfectly sure of Leo's capabilities.

So far, Leo had managed to do small jobs like setting the navi computer and controlling the amount of thrust the engine had. He had a good judge of speed, which was the important part.

It was all very well having the ship on its lowest power, but if you didn't know how much you could turn in comparison with the accumulated forwards motion, then there was no point taking off at all; you'd hit a building before you left the city.

So far Ranzel had directed Leo in the right way to start the ship, and slowly the upwards thrusters were beginning to push her away from the landing platform. A slight error in the exact angle of the accent made the ship begin to turn on its axis, but Leo compensated without Ranzel needing to say a word.

The trilobite shaped ship climbed up slowly into the air, and Leo began to increase the speed to tackle the atmosphere. They plunged upwards in a forty degree climb, hitting the atmosphere in a flash of light, and moments later found themselves propelled into the black vacuum of space.

Leo brought the ship out of orbit, with Ranzel's advice, bringing it into position pointing away from the surface as soon as they escaped the gravitational grip. Now he could set off the navi-computer, since they were far enough away. The computer was made unreliable by high gravity, and the closeness of the planet would have skewed its results.

With a little more coercion from Ranzel, Leo finally activated the hyper-drive, sending the stars into a sudden blur around them.

"Well done," Ranzel said with warm appreciation. "Nobody would suspect you'd only been in the wider Universe for two days."

Leo shook his head and rose to his feet. "It's not much harder than driving that ambulance," he said softly. "Besides, I was reading more than just histories last night."

Ranzel smiled proudly and turned his eyes back to the screen for a moment. There was silence between them, and then he asked. "What troubles you?"

Keeping his eyes on the door, Leo said. "I'm worried about leaving my mother on that planet…"

"They will look after her," Ranzel intoned. The question of Leo's mother was a difficult one. He had suggested that if she woke, she was to be resettled on a quiet planet, but that was all he could do.

"I suppose they will," Leo said tiredly. "But who do you trust more? Alien robots or NHS doctors…"

Ranzel decided that this topic would need to be ended swiftly. He had to think of something quickly to distract the youth. When he did get an idea, he was swift to offer it.

"Would you like to learn to use a lightsaber?"

"That thing...?" Leo asked; turning ever so slightly to look at the unlit weapon that hung at Ranzel's hip.

"Yes; this. Would you like to?"

"I…well, yes…" Leo said, breathlessly. "Now…?"

"In the hold, of course; it's much too dangerous to try it in here, but I think we can afford an hour or two's simple practice while we're at this speed."

Ranzel rose to his feet and passed the stunned Leo, who followed with his breath caught in his throat.

An hour later, Leo had mastered the very basics. He could hold the lightsaber, and he could take up attack or defence stances based on Ranzel's quick fire direction. Now it was time for some serious training.

"In real life you will be fighting real opponents, who have been using this method of fighting since they were born," Ranzel said softly. "You don't have that kind of privilege. Normally, a student wouldn't reach the point of fighting opponents which can actually hurt you until they were five years into their training. You however must be able to handle it, and now."

Leo looked at him with wide eyes. "But I…"

"You'll be fine," Ranzel offered, confidently. "You might get a bit battered though,"

He didn't have a chance to argue with that, because Ranzel had activated a holo-emitter, and a large, ugly beast was suddenly ambling towards him with a great axe swung up on its shoulder.

"Just how dangerous is this thing?" Leo asked, shakily, taking a step away from it.

"It's dangerous enough." Ranzel insisted, and then the beast moved slowly on its feet, lowering its weapon from its shoulder and then slamming its great axe towards Leo.

Leo brought his lightsaber up in defence. It was slow enough to pre-empt what the axe was going to do, but the blow was more powerful than he'd expected, and it almost knocked him off his feet entirely.

"Slow, but powerful," Ranzel said, with an amused tone in his voice.

"If that got me," Leo said, ducking around the great creature and blocking another shattering blow, "It'd take my arm off!"

"So don't let it get you. Mandorcs are powerful, but they tire easily. Keep moving around him, exhaust him. You do not have to strike down an enemy to destroy him."

Leo ducked around another blow and began in the other direction. The creature seemed to be right handed, and he could dodge more of the blow by staying on the weakest end of his swing.

"Very good," Ranzel applauded, keeping discreet so as not to distract Leo.

"This is only the first stage. When you can fight him well enough, you'll do the same blindfolded." Leo wheeled on Ranzel, and barely missed a blow to the head from the Mandorc, ducking under it instinctively and twirling under his arm. "What kind of crazy idea is that?"

"You hit the fighter without seeing it. What's so different about the Mandorc?"

"That was a lucky shot," Leo insisted coldly as he caught another attack from the Mandorc with the stronger part of the lightsaber.

"It was the Force, Leo," Ranzel said determinedly. "And it would be the Force that aids your fighting the Mandorc. You should be able to feel him – see him without your eyes and just know what he is going to do."

"I don't believe it…" Leo said, and then stumbled under the weight of another blow from the heavy holographic alien.

"You do," Ranzel said, without showing any sign of anger. "Pay attention to what you're doing."

Leo stepped aside just to dodge a surprise blow from the Mandorc, and turned against it, just as the simulation began to speed up. Where it had taken a few seconds between each clumsy attack, it was now much faster. The Mandorc stepped, and attacked, and then attacked again. It began to change its methods.

"Don't exhaust yourself. Exhaust him." Ranzel insisted as Leo dodged around another blow and then stumbled under the power of one of the projection's powerful thrusts. He caught it with his lightsaber, letting the blow send him rolling forwards, and then came back to his feet to parry another attack.

"You're a crazy man!" Leo hissed through his teeth as he fought back against the massive form of the Mandorc. "I don't believe in your stories."

"But you have the power in you. Look at what you've achieved since you left Earth."

"Luck! Aptitude!" Leo insisted, catching another blow against the base of the lightsaber. He pushed back against the equal force of the Mandorc.

"Trust in the Force," Ranzel said again, stepping a little closer still to the fighting pair. "Use it to help you."

"I…" Leo said, his shoulders shaking with effort and strain. "I can't hold him back…"

"Forget how strong he is…it's unimportant. Trust in the Force within you, let it flow - form into a power that goes beyond strength and size. Throw him away from you!"

Leo spent all his energy trying to throw the Mandorc away from him, but he couldn't overpower him. He was too big – too strong. Ranzel couldn't expect him to do this, it was impossible!

His muscles complained and, unable to hold the Mandorc off any longer, he fell beneath its crushing power, skittering to a landing at Ranzel's feet. Ranzel stepped away from him and the Mandorc came forwards, sending down a blow that would have cracked Leo's head open if it hadn't stopped just between his eyes.

"I don't believe in it." Leo said firmly, again.

"You will before you leave our next destination," Ranzel insisted, glancing upwards. "But you must learn what I am to tell you. The Masters at the Academy are not stupid. They will know you are not fully trained."

Leo shook his head and slid out from underneath the axe's blade. "How do you expect me to blend in?"

"You will pretend to be a Padawan from another Galaxy. They all tend to follow ever so slightly different rules, you ought to be okay. I will try not to put you in too extreme a position. It is my existence after all that depends on you being discreet."

Leo sighed, turning off the lightsaber and handing it back to its true owner. "You certainly don't know how to do things discreetly in space. Is there nothing else you can do?"

"Nothing. Besides, it may do you some good to see how the young use the Force." Ranzel studied the lightsaber in his hands, turning it over slowly. "I want you to have this," he said after a moment, before handing it out again.

Leo didn't think he'd heard what he had, he was studying the ugly lines of the Mandorc again, and he had to be called again by Ranzel to actually hear the offer.

"Your lightsaber? I couldn't…"

"You could," Ranzel insisted softly, lifting his head a little. "It belonged to my Master, and I would like to hand it down to you. I've been working on building a new one for a while. It ought to be finished before we get to our final destination."

Ranzel set the lightsaber down in Leo's hand, and closed his fingers around it. "This is yours, Leonard. If you had joined the Temple as an initiate, it is the same as they would have given you. You did not…but you are still my Padawan. In time…in time you will begin to understand."

Leo looked down at the lightsaber, surprised at Ranzel's tone and his dedication. This was a representation of just how much Ranzel trusted Leo to become what he expected. It was wonderful, to have someone place so much trust in him – but a burden too. Leo was admittedly, a little nervous that he would fail Ranzel's expectations. That he wouldn't be as good a Jedi as Ranzel expected him to be.

And he also felt a grave disadvantage. He hadn't grown up in the same way that the other Jedi had. He knew nothing about their way of life – nothing about the Force, more than what he had read, and even that much he hadn't believed.

But perhaps he ought to believe it. If Ranzel believed that he was capable of such things then perhaps he could at least try to believe him. Was it possible? An all encompassing power that could be tapped – that Leo could tap?

He looked at Ranzel. He wanted Ranzel to demonstrate – to show him the possibilities of the Force. But he suspected the old Jedi was right – he would learn far more by trial and error, by actually forcing himself to believe in it, and accept it – than he would from watching someone else doing it.

Leo turned the lightsaber over in his hands a few more times, looking at it in quiet contemplation. Yes…he would certainly try to believe in the Force, and if he could believe in it - that would certainly be a successful first step.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Renzucon fell through the atmosphere of Cantauri steadily, Ranzel once again in the piloting position. The ship turned as it came down, and a little forward power sent it sweeping over the surface of the planet, so that Leo could appreciate it. There were dense forests and sprawling deserts close to each other, and in the distance, the mountains grew up to form a massive ice field.

It was the perfect training planet, Leo realised, like Earth might appear to be, with its similar, if less condensed landscapes.

The Jedi Temple grew up before them like a massive stalagmite, towering and sharp against the landscape. Surrounding the Temple were four landing pads, and beyond that a series of hangers, which seemed odd in comparison to the massive, gothic building.

"It's amazing," Leo said, looking at the building as they approached.

Ranzel merely smiled and turned the ship a little, bringing her in to land on one of the pads.

"How many Initiates are there here?" Leo asked.

"Very few, compared to how many there would usually be. The war has not been kind to us." Ranzel replied, giving Leo a knowing look and then stepping away. "Come…we have much to do, and see."

Following Ranzel from the shuttle, Leo once again became aware of just how massive the Universe must be. This was one little planet, and beyond that it had its own system, and then there were lots of systems in this Galaxy, which made up the Universe with more of its kind.

The air was warm on his face, and the Temple seemed to smell strongly of hard work, covered up with flowers.

A dark purple alien was approaching, his long, drooping ears falling over his shoulders like hair. Otherwise he was bald, and he had small, black eyes. He was attended by a young girl in white robes, with black hair.

He seemed speechless for a moment, his sharp eyes fixed on Leo, and then he shifted his gaze towards Ranzel.

"The Council told us you would be visiting," said the alien, and then he looked back at Leo again. "We expected you would come alone." It was a question, really. The alien didn't know who Leo was.

"Ah," Ranzel said warmly. "This is Leonard Black. He was sent here to study this Galaxy."

"He's a Jedi?"

"A Padawan; He is learning more about the Universe before he rejoins his Master."

The alien nodded warily and glanced at Leo once more, before addressing him. "You are strong in the Force. My name is Membar Delkarel," he lifted one scaly hand before him in greeting, and then continued. "If your Temple can spare you once you attain your Knighthood…"

Leo shook his head softly, but didn't say a word. Ranzel let a smile move over his lips. He hadn't exactly lied to the Jedi Master. Everything he had said was true. Leo's eyes were bright with amusement at just how clever Ranzel had been.

"Very well," the alien said, at large. "If you would follow me, I'll show you the way through. There are several Apprentices who would seek to charm you, Ranzel."

Ranzel smiled and looked at his feet, and Leo followed to one side of him, looking around as he went. It was a perfect story, because the alien who led them showed him everything as they passed, impressing Leo with the greatness of the halls.

They stopped momentarily to greet another Jedi Master, an eight foot tall figure, who would be a perfectly normal human if it wasn't for his incredible height. He too seemed quite taken aback by Leo, and didn't seem to quite believe the story when Membar passed it on to him.

He glared down into Leo's green eyes for a few long moments, and then turned his gaze up to Ranzel. It was then that Leo knew something bad was going to happen.

"Close your eyes," the tall figure said firmly. "Tell me everything you see."

Leo glanced quickly to Ranzel, who looked urgently down at him. Obediently he shut his eyes and took a breath, trying to consider what he was meant to be doing. The question was reasonable, and not simply a trick. He was meant to be a warrior who relied on more than just strength…so it must be something about remembering everything to do with his environment, like the question had suggested.

He began steadily, thinking of everything in turn. "There are pillars stretching down either side at one meter intervals. The ceiling is high, lifted in towers at frequent points in a gothic manner. Everything is made from a dark silver kind of stone, except for the floor, which is…more like sandstone.

Ranzel D'Kar stands to my left. He is taller than me, with brown hair, but…"

He was stopped here by the enormous man. "Details; Use the Force to find the details."

It was almost as though he could feel Ranzel's worry as he stood those few inches away. He almost said it before he remembered just why Ranzel was worried. "Ranzel is no more than a hand's breadth to my left. His hair is wavy, and his eyes are dark brown, although the centres are paler." He tried desperately to concentrate, to summon every possible thing he might have seen to his mind.

"His right hand is on his hip, and he's watching me intently…a single strand of hair over one eye." He lowered his eyes and thought about the tall alien. "The Master I met more recently is scowling. He is two foot taller than I am, and has sharp features, and pale silver hair. He concentrated. "There's a scar on his jaw…perhaps from a lightsaber."

This was harder than he expected it would have been. He tried to remember more. The purple alien, Membar… "Membar has one of his ears…" he tried to remember. "…His left ear, hanging over his shoulder in front – and the right one behind." He struggled for a moment. Something was wrong, a ripple of something – a movement. "He is otherwise bald, and shorter than I am. His hands are…"

Leo's hand shot up, closing around Membar's wrist, where his hand had crept up towards Leo's collar. Slowly he opened his eyes. He wasn't entirely aware of how he'd known – but in imagining everything happening around him, the vision had come to life. The taller alien was looking down at him in surprise, and Membar seemed quite shocked too. His little black eyes had grown in size perceptibly.

Leo could still feel Ranzel a little, to his amazement. He was proud and relieved, and when Leo turned his eyes to the other man he had to smile as the Jedi Knight quickly covered up his feelings by lifting his eyes to the taller alien, confidently. "You have always been paranoid, Arakaziel, but it is simply rude to test someone who does not know your ways. Now, Membar, we were expected elsewhere, I believe?"

Ranzel moved forwards, but Leo waited behind long enough to give a slight bow to Arakaziel, before following the two at a slight distance. Again there was that odd feeling of knowing Ranzel was proud of him, and it warmed his heart to feel it.

It turned out that there were four initiates in total in the room, and a good deal more had come to watch, although they didn't expect to be chosen. The four were in pairs, their lightsabers drawn and on a low power. They were blindfolded, but despite that they fought with incredible adaptability and capability. All were on the defensive, except for one particularly fiery youth.

Ranzel leant over to him, telling him softly that the anger that the child showed in his method of fighting would make it difficult to train him, and he would have to learn to control it before any Jedi Knight would accept him as Padawan.

Another girl seemed particularly good. She took each motion in her stride, whirled and caught another, but Ranzel was disappointed in her to. "She wastes too much energy. She will weaken first," he explained to Leo.

The other two were very good, as far as Ranzel were concerned. But neither stood out in the way Ranzel seemed to believe Leo did. Leo was grateful, but surprised at this information.

Ranzel stood, moving to meet Membar and leaving Leo on his own. Unsolicited, Arakaziel appeared beside him, his tall shape towering over Leo. Leo held his breath until he'd relaxed his surprise, and without glancing up, greeted the man with a nod – especially since he couldn't quite remember his name.

"Is Ranzel teaching you?" Arakaziel said, darkly.

Leo didn't move; he tried to remain calm. "Ranzel is offering me lessons from time to time, in the absence of my Master."

It was hard to lie, especially in the face of someone as powerful as Leo suspected this man was. He went on, softly, to offer a little recompense. "I have trouble controlling my anger, from time to time." He thought that sounded reasonable enough.

"Anger is the path to the Dark Side," Arakaziel intoned in the same way Leo had expected him to.

"It is," Leo replied, looking at the elder man respectfully before looking back towards the fights. The girl was indeed tiring as Ranzel had predicted, and the boy who had been fighting in that angry manner was tiring too.

Arakaziel turned ever so slightly towards the battles. "Would you fight one of our initiates? They are all younger than you, but you should not underestimate them. I have a favourite, myself…"

Leo took a breath. "I would prefer to consult Ranzel before I agree to anything. He is expected on…" he strained to remember the name of the planet, "…Pentusar – and I would not like to delay him unnecessarily." He held his back when he was done, hoping he hadn't sounded too much like a robot.

"Of course," Arakaziel said warmly, but it was clear from the sound of his voice that he would not be satisfied unless Leo agreed. None the less, Leo would speak to Ranzel first.

Coming to his feet, Leo sent Arakaziel an understanding, but cold look before turning on his heal and crossing the hall, bowing slightly to Ranzel. It was enough for him to stop whatever it was he was saying to Membar and turn towards him questioningly.

"Arakaziel," Leo said, as the alien's name came to him again, "Arakaziel wishes me to duel an initiate of his choice. I suspect he will not be satisfied otherwise." He was quite impressed with how formal he'd managed to phrase that in front of the purple Jedi Master. "However, being aware of your mission, I do not seek to waste time."

Ranzel nodded, but he already knew what Leo meant: 'I'm worried about what will happen, but I know I have to do this' was the general reasoning. 'But if you can help in any way, I would be grateful.' This at least was the general message put across by the earnestness of Leo's gaze, and the slight tremble of his fingertips.

"You should not deny Arakaziel his whims, although they come at a bad time," Membar interrupted, from beside Ranzel.

"None the less, we cannot stay too long here," Ranzel replied, with a stern look at the Jedi Master. "The Union of Planets needs any intelligence about those ships that we can gather for them. Arakaziel's fight will have to wait."

"Thank you," Leo murmured weakly, though his heart was beating twice as fast as usual. Somehow, Ranzel's denial of what Membar had called 'Arakaziel's whims' was a show of his power, where Leo had had none of the control to make such a controversial decision.

But Ranzel was still going to use it as a training method, he realised. It was the same attempt of throwing him in at the deep end; only this time if he failed, he would be putting Ranzel in danger, as well as himself. As soon as they did have time to spare, he would be here, fighting some unknown assailant blindly.

At least now he had some time to learn. He would not have to be fighting some powerful initiate the following morning. He might even have the privilege of a few weeks to hone the abilities that had helped him catch Membar's wrist earlier.

Leo bowed again to Ranzel, who glanced momentarily at Membar, before watching Leo go. The Padawan made his way back over to Arakaziel and bowed again. He felt a pit in his stomach, not fear, but certainly unease. But he would not back down from the challenge.

Leo could only hope that Ranzel's faith in him was well justified.

"I accept your challenge, Arakaziel," Leo said softly. "However, Ranzel insists on fulfilling his mission primarily."

Arakaziel looked as though that serenity that covered his face might suddenly snap, but he seemed to recover himself and he nodded slowly. "As you wish," The haughty alien replied, leaning down a little towards him. "As soon as your mission is completed, of course… We cannot waste time in the midst of war."

Leo nodded, serenely, but he was relieved when Arakaziel finally left him to watch the end of the fight.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

For the next hour, Leo watched the twin suns disappearing over the edge of the horizon, while Ranzel visited the rest of the Jedi Masters. It was a short visit, definitely, but the very prospect of coming back to such a place, to fight someone who had a power that Leo was only just beginning to understand… Well, it was both terrifying, and exciting, all at once.

Leo looked quietly at his hands, then up at the disappearing corona of the second sun. Such an enormous universe, with so many things that seemed incomprehensible…

He rose to his feet and stopped to look at a pair of students, who appeared to be testing each other. Ranzel had said they would be leaving at sunset, but Leo wanted to know what the children were doing before he left, so he began to make his way over to them.

Stopping above them, Leo could finally see what they were doing. They smiled up at him warmly and then went back to playing. One of the children held a card, with a mark written on it – the other had to identify what was on the card.

It was only a simple game, but the children seemed to be getting most of them right. At least he only suspected they were, since they spoke in another tongue.

"Would you like to play?" one of them suddenly asked, very clearly.

Leo shook his head. "I shouldn't. Ranzel will be waiting for me."

"Of course…D'Kar," the other child said it significantly, eyeing his sister.

They giggled together for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Normally, a younger Jedi will call his elders by the name their last name. It's more respectful. You ought to call him D'Kar, but you don't," explained the girl, with a bright smile on her face.

So that was what he'd been doing wrong? Why hadn't Ranzel explained that? Leo straightened up a little. "That's just how we do things where I come from."

"And where do you come from?"

"I hardly know what it's called here, do I?" Leo said sternly, raising one eyebrow at the two children. "Now I really must go."

"Wait!" said the boy, standing up and stepping towards Leo. "We didn't mean to offend you. Please…take this gift to remember us by."

Leo frowned and took the card that the boy was offering him. On one side it was blank, while the other had a picture of a large brightly coloured bird.

"It's a GanGan bird. It resembles friendship," said the girl, without looking at the card herself. "Consider it a gift from all the Apprentices here."

"I will remember it," Leo said softly, looking down at the two and smiling warmly. "Ah…D'Kar returns. I ought to go. Good luck with your training."

He stepped away, and the children giggled again, watching him go to the dark figure of Ranzel.

"Are you ready to leave?" Ranzel asked, giving a quick look to the card which Leo was holding gently in his fingertips.

"Yes," Leo replied, glancing up at the Jedi Knight quietly. His gaze returned to the card for a moment, the vision of the odd bird becoming imprinted on his mind as he wandered unconsciously after Ranzel.

As soon as they were up again, they darted forwards, rising up into the atmosphere in a sleek movement. Within moments they were back in the brilliant glare of those twin suns, although now they were in the deep black vacuum of space.

"We'll just get into hyperspace. It's not so long a trip to Pentusar from here," Ranzel remarked, activating the navi-computer when they were on the right course.

It wasn't long, certainly. The trip to Pentusar can't have taken more than five minutes after the hyper drive was activated, and the ship began its arcing curve towards a planet that looked desolate and uninhabitable.

The planet seemed to be mostly formed of a thick black rock, and a single ocean seemed to cover a good half of its surface. Of what was visible, at least, since the dull light of the enormous red giant nearby currently cast the planet in a burning glow on one side, and pitch night on the other.

"Pentusar isn't exactly a good holiday location, Leo. The surface is inhospitable, the air toxic to almost all life forms. You'd die within seconds of breathing it in."

Leo swallowed and looked down, but Ranzel wasn't finished yet with his negative explanation. "The settlement itself is contained within the boundaries of the old mining colony, underneath the surface. It's a dangerous in there as it is outside, but the kinds of people we need to contact for information are there."

"I see," Leo replied, feeling a lump in his throat. Barely twenty minutes ago, he had been watching a beautiful sunset on a tranquil planet at one with the Force, but here he was, approaching a planet that made the feeling of total calmness slither away from him, like a snake seeking a rock.

The ship plunged through the icy clear atmosphere, and Leo remembered learning that the most deadly poisons are invisible. Leo could barely tell the colony apart from the rock, but he knew it was there. A set of flashing, dull red lights announced its presence on the surface, but he could already feel it, in an odd new way. The existence of so much evilness had never struck him before.

The Renzucon gave an angry shudder as it came over the top of the flashing lights, and suddenly an enormous, gaping brightness appeared from below them.

"It's an automated system," Ranzel offered, when the ship began to descend slowly. "It's your responsibility not to be too impatient, or you'll find yourself dead."

"Another Jedi rule...?" Leo asked, with a wry smile coming to his lips. It certainly was a good lesson, even if it wasn't a rule as such.

Ranzel smiled, watching Leo's face for a moment. "No, I don't believe I need to explain that to you," he said cryptically. "You understand quite well on your own."

Leo rolled his eyes and studied the empty docking bay as they descended. The covering slipped shut over the top of the Renzucon, blocking off the bay from the poisonous atmosphere above, and the ship settled on the ground, resting for a moment before Ranzel began to shut off the engines.

"Now what…?" Leo asked when the ship was in complete silence.

"Now we wait until they pump oxygen in to replace the toxic gases. Be patient."

Leo leant back in his seat, waiting for something to happen. After a moment or so, the lights suddenly turned blue and a massive hissing sounded around them as the oxygen was pumped in violently to replace the poisonous gas. When the light turned off, Ranzel rose to his feet.

"And now, my Padawan, it is time to continue our mission. Hurry now."

The hatch opened with the sigh of escaping air, and Leo held his breath for a moment instinctively. When he realised that Ranzel was still breathing easily he relaxed, and looked around. The docking area was blank and empty, the walls the same pale grey colour of the floor, and the brownish colour of the Renzucon was the only thing that stood out.

"Come," Ranzel repeated to the distracted youth, stepping in the direction of a single black line painted on the wall. The black line parted as they approached, allowing them to enter a dimly lit, cavernous hall.

"Pentusar Spaceport," the Jedi went on, with a glance back at the other man. "If you thought it was terrifying to be lost on Xircamede, then you must be even more wary here. There are aliens who would tempt you from your safety at my side, and agents of the Empire, who would seek to tell of your presence to their masters."

Ranzel lead the attentive Leo slowly through the thick mass of bodies. There were aliens of every type here, and they got more than a few intense glances.

"Jedi are not as often seen as you may imagine. We have been fading in recent times, and rarely pass without garnering some interest. The Sith are more difficult to fool than the Council. They will find out that you are with me, and they will know that you are my Padawan, and remain completely unquestioning of it."

Leo nodded silently to himself. The Masters themselves had certainly been very wary of whether Leo was Ranzel's Padawan or not. From what he had seen they were very suspicious of such an event. The Sith were used to trickery, so it made sense that they would know by default.

Keeping close to Ranzel, Leo allowed himself to be led deeper into the complex. It was certainly a warren of activity. After a few moments Ranzel stopped them both and looked keenly at Leo.

"Do you know the way back to the ship from here?"

Leo frowned and closed his eyes, thinking intently. "…Back up this corridor, second left, then the first right."

"Then…?" Ranzel pushed, a dark blue creature stepping between them as it passed.

"First right again, and then along to docking bay…forty nine."

"You missed a turning," Ranzel admonished, firmly. "Another left before you search for the docking bay."

Leo lowered his eyes, feeling as though he'd been slapped. He had lost concentration when the alien had passed the Jedi. He didn't feel like apologising to Ranzel though; or at least, he didn't need to. Leo knew after all, that if he couldn't learn, it would be his life on the line soon enough.

Ranzel turned away and began to lead the other deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels. Now he knew that Leo would be paying total attention to where he was going. The youth might even eventually notice the dark figure that was following them, two toed feet making little noise on the cavern floor.

Leo couldn't use the Force very well so far. Yes, so he could deflect an attack while he had his eyes shut, but beyond feeling the odd prickle of being watched, perhaps even being followed. He didn't know, nor could he pick out exactly which person was following them.

None the less, they were being followed, and Ranzel used every trick he could to lose their tracker. At one point he did, but another alien took up where the first had lost them, and the other found returned to the scent shortly afterwards.

Leo wasn't blind to the avoidance techniques that his Master was trying. Because he was spending a lot of his effort trying to remember which path they had taken. He recognised instantly where they were when they passed a particular point again. At first he thought they were lost, but soon he forgot about trying to remember the way back, and concentrated on exactly who was tailing them.

As soon as he had begun to concentrate it was easier. He picked out the alien's form as they turned corners, and if he reached out with his feelings...

"Why is he following us?" He asked Ranzel after a few moments.

"Information on any Jedi visiting the Pentusar Spaceport is no doubt priceless to the Empire. However…that particular alien is a Glimaldri. They are very loyal to their families, and most of the Glimaldri are unsupportive of the Empire."

Leo shook his head. "I have a lot to learn," he said, after a moment. "Even if I could use the Force like you could, I still don't know as much as you about what's beyond my own little planet."

"You will learn in time. You can only take in information by being told it or by extensive study."

"I hope so…" Leo replied softly. "But there are things you only learn with experience." He knew that much from horse riding alone.

"And things that you know, without learning about them. Come, we will stop for a drink, and see what our friends are up to."

They turned another corner without trying to avoid their pursuers, slipping into a dark, musty bar, which smelt of sweat and vomit.

"What seek you here, Jedi?" gasped a wet eyed alien, coming up to stand in front of Ranzel. His smaller friend stood in front of Leo, who narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. The big, stupid eyes didn't return the motion.

"We are here on reconnaissance, Sembolikar. Surely you can understand the necessity of such things?"

"Do not," gasped the fish faced creature, "Think you that anyone will give what wants you after last time."

Ranzel looked amused, but calm, Leo considered, as he glanced at the other man. Whatever it was the Jedi had done last time, it had certainly made this Sembolikar angry.

"They would not consider such a little thing as a Cromellian's tail worth bothering with. Accidents happen when people threaten Jedi. You know that, don't you?" Ranzel gave Sembolikar a withering look, and then stepped between him and his smaller friend. Leo moved forwards as close to his wake as he could manage, so he might pass before the two fish like creatures could stop him.

It didn't work.

The two closed tightly behind Ranzel, stopping Leo from coming past, and instantly Leo took up the defensive, putting enough room between his body and these strange hostile creatures. He couldn't see Ranzel, but he knew the Jedi would have noticed what was happening.

Leo took a step back defensively, slid his lightsaber into his palm but didn't activate it.

"I will not warn you again," Ranzel's voice interrupted the dark sounds that surrounded them. The silence was more ringing than anything else. The buzz of Ranzel's lightsaber was the only noticeable noise.

Sembolikar turned away, looking towards the elder Jedi, and remained shoulder to shoulder with the younger creature.

"Have no trouble with you, Ranzel. With little one, yes."

That was enough to convince Leo he was in danger, and turned his lightsaber on as Ranzel replied, "If you have trouble with him, you have trouble with me. Leave him be, or suffer the consequences."

"Leave him be we will not," Sembolikar said, his hand sweeping for his blaster. Ranzel moved instantly, sweeping forwards in a motion that sliced the creature's fin like hand away. As he did this, the younger did the same, and Leo whirled in an equal reaction.

It was over in seconds. The two aliens stumbled back, regretting their words, and the instant decisions of the two Jedi. Ranzel placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, and led him deeper into the bar, as the muffled noises began once more.

They took a seat at a small dark table, where anyone might be able to approach them without too much trouble. Once they were settled, Ranzel slid off towards the bar in search of someone he might know to seek information from.

Leo didn't even notice himself losing the elder Jedi. One moment he was there at the bar, talking to an almost black alien, with dark red battle armour – the next he was gone. Leo remembered that the new creature had pointed in the direction of the door, but that was all he could remember, really.

Now he was faced with two options. He could stay here, in this bar, or he could leave, and potentially get lost.

Well, he had no choice but to stay, then. He could only get himself in trouble by going after the Jedi Knight. Best to stay put where Ranzel might be able to find him.

He was to regret the decision, of course, when a creature in reddish brown robes approached him, sitting down at the seat opposite him, and effectively blocking his retreat.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The creature didn't remove its hood, but Leo could feel its eyes burning into him as he sat there, watching it in return. It took a long time to gather the wits to talk, and while it did so, Leo did all he could to concentrate, taking in as much of his surroundings as he could manage, trying to reach out to find the same connection that had settled the paranoia of the Jedi at the Temple.

The creature was holding a blaster beneath its cloak, pointed at him, and he froze instantly, lifting his gaze. If he moved, he'd be shot. He fumbled his lightsaber into his palm and pointed it in the right direction. If he timed it right, he might just be able to disable the blaster. A second too long, and he may as well be dead.

He knew the movement was coming before it came, and he whirled instantly to catch the arm of a new attacker with the back of his left wrist. At the same time he turned on the lightsaber. It seemed to hit the mark, because the alien opposite him gave a howl of disgust, and Leo was still alive enough to bring the blade through the table to turn on this new addition to the fight.

The man he turned on was intelligent enough to back away from his lightsaber blade, but another was coming towards him. Leo whirled, bringing his lightsaber towards the weapon that was coming down towards him.

The two weapons crackled as they came together. Leo forced his eyes to open. It was an energy weapon, heavy like the axe that the Mandorc used, but it wasn't that - and it wasn't a lightsaber. It was more like a great hammer instead, and it was held by a massive, pig like alien that seemed to cast a shadow over him with its incredible bulk.

Its strength too was massive, and Leo had enough time to register that it was a lot like the Mandorc in more than just what type of weapon it used as he was pushed back first one step, and then another into the rubble that had been the table.

And then something hard hit the back of his head, and he found himself falling like a rock towards the hard, smelly floor of the bar.

"Wake up, Jedi," a drawling voice interrupted on Leo's dreaming. He opened his eyes and for a moment didn't really realise they were open. It was so dull and dark. The sound of liquid dripping permeated the room, and a single, ice blue light lit up no more than just the corner it was in.

Leo looked around for the figure that had spoken to him. There were several he could hear around him, but the Force couldn't seem to reach out to them. He felt alone, and defenceless, as though he was standing out in the open during a lightning storm.

"Feels strange, does it not?" continued the voice, and Leo realised he could see the faint outline of a figure in the dim light. "The lack of the Force, but you must understand; it was essential."

Something like a blade came across Leo's throat, and his head was pushed back slowly. It took a few moments for him to realise that it wasn't a knife, but the hand of some sentient beast, complete with claws; ready weapons if Leo tried anything.

"I'm afraid that we have to be asking you a few questions now, young Jedi…"

"Who for…?" Leo breathed out, shakily.

The alien let out a rasping noise that Leo suspected was a laugh, but sounded very little like one. "It is I who is asking the questions, little Jedi,"

"What makes you think I'll answer them?" Leo replied in return, and the claws sharpened instantly on his throat.

"No," the creature snarled and the thing that clutched his throat relaxed its grip. "Give him the truth serum instead. He will be less likely to lie to us then, and will go back to his Master in a better…condition."

Leo couldn't see the needle that the aliens set upon him, but he felt the sharp blade of it dig into his skin, and he managed to hold back the cry of pain that sought to escape his dry throat.

The needle was dragged out roughly, his arm punched with the back of one of his attacker's fists, and then he was left to lie back on whatever he'd been dumped on.

Everything seemed to whirl about him, the darkness moving in waves before his eyes, with darker patches that Leo was sure was his vision clouding, and sometimes he suspected he might have been able to see a little more than had been possible before.

But worst of all, he could feel that ever increasing feeling of drunken carelessness slipping in around him, as though these aliens had somehow locked on to whatever it was that made people give away their secrets when they were intoxicated, and bottled it.

"Let's start with something simple. What's your name?"

"Leonard Morello Black," Leo replied, tiredly.

"Very good," the alien replied, before going on. "Who is your Master?"

"Ranzel D'Kar," Leo grit his teeth, knowing that he had no choice but to give up his answers. Struggle as he might, the words simply flowed from him when they were asked for.

"And he trains you as his Padawan?"

"Yes."

But not when the Council learnt of this, he didn't doubt. He tried to gather the feeling in his limbs, but they refused to respond, and all that happened for his efforts, was his vision dimming entirely for one terrifying second.

"Your Master has been asking questions about a certain Empire vessel. Do you know what he speaks of?"

"Yes." Leo said, relieved that it hadn't been a more intricate question. His relief didn't last long.

"You were in a battle together. You destroyed the leading ship?"

"Yes," Leo hissed between his teeth.

The questioning continued, and it was at least a relief to Leo that he knew so little of the Universe at large. It made the questioning more frustrating for the aliens though, who seemed to think that perhaps Leo was channelling the Force in some way.

When they had no further use for him, they simply abandoned him in the nearest corridor and left, leaving him to himself, and to any deep-cave passer by.

Leo opened his eyes quickly this time, knowing instantly that he was in danger. It had impeded on his dreams like some prowling creature; a darkness that needed fighting immediately if he were to survive.

Without realising he had been looking for it, Leo had found the lightsaber he'd been laying on, and brought it into his hand, before he even identified the threat.

A group of dwarfish aliens were grouped together nearby. They had low foreheads and deep-set eyes, and very, very large ears, but were otherwise very human in their origins. They spoke together in high, sharp voices, in an unintelligible language of mostly computer-like noises.

So why had Leo felt so much fear of their presence? He tightened his grip about the handle of his lightsaber and sat up. His head swam dizzily. It was a little lighter here, but not much so. At least his vision was a little clearer, and he didn't feel quite so helpless as he had earlier; despite the still remaining edge of drunken dizziness.

The aliens were coming closer, and Leo forcefully pulled himself to his feet, finding that they were unsteady underneath him, more as though they were made of paper than any kind of solid substance. He swayed for a moment, and that was the moment that one of the evil little beasts chose to leap at him. It leapt very high for its size, landed splayed across Leo's chest and sent him sprawling onto his back.

Sheer chance alone kept Leo's lightsaber in his hand, and it buzzed into life as he landed. The little thing had been so fast, Leo hadn't had time to react to it – and by the time he had brought his lightsaber up towards his chest, the creature had leapt away once more.

Calmly, Leo turned his gaze and the blade of his lightsaber towards the little creatures. They snarled at him, baring sharp teeth in his direction, and took up an offensive position, blocking the corridor ahead of him and coming closer.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I need to," Leo warned, taking a cautious step back, well aware that at least the path behind him was clear.

But Leo knew well enough that the way back was not the right direction. He had to go forwards, less the way behind him suddenly become less desirable still. So he brought his lightsaber across his chest defensively and charged.

The creatures parted like water as he ran through them, but Leo knew his mistake as soon as he'd passed. His back, now turned towards the fast little aliens, was defenceless, and they leapt upon him as soon as the dangerous lightsaber was far enough away from them. Some collided with others, knocking them away from him as he landed on his front, his lightsaber turning off as it skittered harmlessly away.

Sharp teeth closed through the thick robes at his back, tearing at it in an attempt to reach flesh, and Leo struggled instantly to try and turn the creatures off.

His immediate reaction was to try and turn onto his back, to squash the irritating, sharp teethed aliens beneath him, and somehow get to his lightsaber to fight them off. Turning over, however, proved nigh on impossible. And perhaps that was a good thing, because if he had turned over, there would have been no escape.

Instead he could only struggle to overturn their weight as the creatures made light work of his clothing.

But Leo was determined. There was no chance that he'd come all this way just to get eaten by dwarves with sharp teeth…

He lifted his eyes to his lightsaber. It lay on the ground no more than a meter away, but far too far to reach it with his fingertips. He stretched out as much as he could, and gave a little cry as teeth suddenly got through his clothes and gnashed deep into his flesh.

Not long now…he had to get them off him before they could cause any more damage.

He reached out again desperately. He needed that lightsaber…if he could just reach it, everything would be okay. He closed his eyes tightly in pain, desperation in the creases of his face.

Suddenly the lightsaber was in his palm. Leo didn't question how it had got there, he simply used it instantly, wheeling on his attackers, turning the lightsaber over his back and waving the creatures away with it. They leapt away, snarling again, obviously afraid of the weapon.

Leo pulled himself up to his feet, his back aching in pain – and with the lightsaber warding off the little beasts he began to retreat slowly, afraid to let his guard drop for a moment.

Distinctly aware of the feeling of his clothing hanging in rags off his back, wet with blood, Leo began struggled away, putting constant distance between himself and the carnivorous aliens. But there was no way he could know just how injured he was. If he could walk he was fine…and the sooner he found Ranzel the better. As soon as the passage gave way to a larger one, with a few shady looking people, he relaxed his guard the slightest bit, deactivating his lightsaber. But nothing could help him blend in as he stumbled, bare backed, in search of the Jedi Knight.

"Ranzel," he said to himself, earnestly, his strength sapped. He didn't know where he was any more. His mind was spinning with the effect of the drugs, and the loss of blood, but all Leo knew was that he had to find the Jedi before it all became too much. He had to find him…

He pushed further on, despite the swirling sickliness in his head, and that terrible aching in his back. Perhaps he would die here, in this horrible, smelly cave, in the middle of a Galaxy that didn't know his name.

Leo fell forwards, calling out Ranzel's name again deliriously, slumping against the wall and managing to drag himself a few more feet by clinging to it. It was so hard to keep his eyes open – and no passer by seemed to notice – or at least if they did they didn't care.

He fell to his knees, unable to fight for any more distance, and then the darkness closed in around him. Leo found himself dragged off into a carefree sleep of blood-loss and lunacy, knowing that letting his legs go from beneath him was simply accepting that he was going to die, but being too exhausted to care any more.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Ranzel stood to one side, his dark brown eyes fixed on the slumped figure on the table. The surgeon was working on reconstructing the flesh, pulling it together and sealing it little by little.

The Force had told him that something was wrong, and the weak cry of help that the Padawan had sent to him had been helpful enough in finding him.

But Ranzel hadn't expected to find him on such a low level of the complex, nor in such a terrible condition. Leo had lost a lot of blood, and it was merely the strength of the Force in him which had been keeping him alive.

Soon enough Ranzel had delivered him to the surgery, and since then it had been a rush for the doctor to replace his blood, and begin work on the repair.

Leo had needed some stretches of synthetic flesh to replace some of the parts where whatever had done this to him had torn him to pieces. Ranzel suspected they were Gnorlashes, since the species did often smuggle its way in to places like this, and hide waiting for unsuspecting prey where they weren't wanted.

Ranzel considered Leo lucky to have escaped them, if that was the case. Considering that the youth knew very little about this Galaxy.

Which was half the problem, Ranzel considered; He knew very well about the Gnorlashes, the Mandorcs, the Cromellians – but Leo knew nothing of them until he met them.

There was so much that must be a complete mystery to him – and the Universe was a dangerous place. Not knowing about things was as good as being dead already.

Ranzel would have to be sure to educate Leo a little in what he needed to know - and perhaps if he threw in a few myths it might help. Often what was only mythology made itself a reality in the face of a Jedi.

Leo groaned into the pillow underneath him, and Ranzel smiled and stepped forwards slowly, waiting patiently for Leo to speak.

The first thing Leo did realise was the insistent pain in his back. But it was less now than it had been in the moment of sudden tearing flesh, and he could block out a little of the pain if he tried to ignore it. He began to focus a little on what was around him, instead of dwelling on the pain, and steadily he became aware that he was no longer in the dark, and that Ranzel's presence hovered just to his right.

"Can I move?" he asked Ranzel slowly. He could feel something still working on his back, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

"No," Ranzel replied, quietly. "You're being patched back together by the surgeon. Relax, close your eyes and concentrate the Force within you to healing your wounds."

Leo closed his eyes and let a slow sigh. Anything that moved his back hurt, and he was sure that too much movement would disrupt the surgeon. Slowly it began to hurt a lot less, but he wasn't sure whether it was the cause of the doctor's ministrations, or else of the Force itself. At any rate he was concentrating furiously on healing, his eyes tightly shut.

It was intense, and difficult. Firstly, he had to empty his mind of everything, including the pain in his back, and then he had to focus on the Force around him, bring it flowing through him to the point of the wound. Ranzel didn't expect him to manage anything like that…but perhaps Leo would be capable of wiping the feeling of pain from his mind.

Leo didn't find it easy at all to ignore that pain, but he did it none the less. Somehow it was easier in this half asleep state to manage this strange power than it had been otherwise. He'd have to remember that for future reference.

Soon enough, the surgeon was done with repairing Leo's back, and Ranzel helped him slowly to his feet. The drunken feeling was gone, but he felt tired from the effort of struggling with the pain, and he had to lean against the elder man as he was led slowly out of the bright surgery, back into the thick, consuming darkness of the cave systems.

"We'll spend our nights here in the ship, under a total lock down. It's much safer in the long run."

"Ranzel," Leo said after a moment. "Did you know I'd been…kidnapped?"

"I had my suspicions…but I wasn't sure; No," Ranzel replied, with a momentary glance at Leo. "Those I asked were unclear on the exact circumstances. The best I understood was that a lightsaber had been drawn."

There was a space then, which allowed Leo to fill in exactly what it was Ranzel didn't know – he remained silent for a moment, and then did just that.

"I was attacked by…by something – well several things, really." Leo struggled to remember the details in the same way that he had been able to see them in his mind at the Temple.

"There were certainly no less than three of them. The first distracted me. Well, he tried. I took out his blaster when another came for me. He retreated from my lightsaber – but a third attacked afterwards."

Leo took a rest here and closed his eyes. "I was overpowered by the third one…" he said, softly, knowing Ranzel would find fault with his not calling on the power of the Force to aid him.

Ranzel didn't say anything; he let Leo continue. Apparently he would be saving his reprimand for the end of the story.

"Either one of the first aliens, or a new one, attacked me from behind…they knocked me out with a single blow."

"If you had used the Force to the best of your ability, not only would you have not lost consciousness, but you would also have at least been able to identify the types of alien involved." Ranzel said, sternly, just as Leo had predicted he would.

Leo shook his head. "You didn't ask me."

Ranzel narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "You should have told me without being asked, Leonard."

Leo skirted the edge of another reprimand boldly. "One of the aliens had a pig like face…" At Ranzel's blank look he went on. "His skin was in folds over his cheeks and chin, and his nose was upturned. His eyes…" Leo concentrated a little. "Very tiny and…and blue."

"I see…" Ranzel said thoughtfully as they stepped out into their docking bay. The Renzucon was there, looking tired and lonely, but Leo was glad to see it again. Within the walls of the ship, things were predictable. Time continued on a steady course, and no nasty aliens were about to rush in and knock him senseless.

They stopped at the ramp of the ship, and Ranzel flicked his eyes towards the exhausted figure of his Padawan. Leo was exhausted, and obviously suffering from the pain in his back, even if he didn't display it obviously. The doctor had told him the pain would stop him for about five or six days, at the least, but Ranzel didn't believe that the doctor knew anything about the recuperation of the Jedi.

For the next few days, Ranzel would simply have to teach Leo how to go into a Jedi Trance, and focus him on the Force, and on completely striking the existence of the world from his mind, freeing himself of his emotions; that was the key. Perhaps, with a little meditation behind him, Leo would be okay to tackle the fight he was expected to be a part of.

Cantauri remained ahead of them though – but no doubt Arakaziel would spend his time training his own initiate to take on the older student, adding special tips that the Master could identify as to the flaws of the Otherworld Padawan. Ranzel would simply have to counter him with his own tips – but he was no Jedi Master.

After all, where there is a Master, there is a reason for their gaining the title. Soft on the outside, they might appear to be, but on the inside they could be hard as steel, or even devoted to the Dark Side entirely. Such things had been in the past, and remained now as unwelcome possibilities.

But there would be no possibility, lie as he might to the Jedi Council, and to the Masters of the Temple, there were only two options. He could fail, or he could succeed. Success might mean the end of the Empire – but failure… Failure would go beyond a simple Jedi's pride. Failure would mean the rise of a new Dark Lord, and the total destruction of everything that Ranzel held dear.

There was no in between. It would come down to one or the other, depending on how Leo reacted to his training, and how much he was perverted by the causes of the Dark Side.

But if that really had been a Jamafet that Leo had found himself fighting, then perhaps the Sith were not so far away from striking against them. Most of the Jamafet spies had taken up with the Empire – and if they weren't working for the Empire, then why risk attacking a Jedi?

However, this wasn't the time to trouble anyone over the Jamafa people. Nor was it a time to trouble Leo over the possible implications. He wasn't ready for that kind of knowledge yet – and definitely not in the current position he seemed to be in.

Ranzel stepped over to Leo and offered him his shoulder to lean on as they went up the ramp into the ship. At least, if he could always be there to offer his kindness, and the safety that Leo required, then Leo might remember him if he ever found himself forced to make such a dark choice.

As soon as they were on board, in the safety of the ship, with the bulkheads between them and any listeners, Leo began to recount the rest of the story.

"I woke up in an almost completely dark place. There were…aliens there. I couldn't see them well. They wore cloaks too." Leo shook his head. "One of them had claws. He held my throat," he explained, at Ranzel's puzzled look. The puzzlement turned to a smile, pleased with Leo's perception. They asked me questions…my name, about you, about the ships that attacked us. They drugged me to answer them."

"Why didn't you use the Force to call for help? Or reject the poison?"

"Something was blocking it…the planet, I think."

Grimly, Ranzel nodded. At least Leo had tried. "What else?"

"Lots of questions I couldn't answer; the whereabouts of a Princess I didn't know - the capabilities of some super-weapon - the mission of a particular ship…"

Leo shook his head. "I couldn't answer them, because I didn't know them. But I can't offer any other compensation for my failure." He sighed and then winced at the pain in his back.

"Relax…" Ranzel replied softly. "Finish the story, and get some sleep. What happened would have happened to any inexperienced Jedi."

"Thank you." Leo said warmly, casting his gaze up at Ranzel briefly.

"Go on then…"

"When they were done questioning me, they simply turned me away…gave me my lightsaber, too," Leo went on.

Yes, Ranzel mused to himself. That sounded like the calmer of the Jamafet races; always stepping in to protect something that might be useful again.

"And then…?"

"Then I got mauled by tiny little aliens with sharp teeth!" Leo snapped. "You saw my back! They were trying to eat me!"

"Calm your emotions, Leonard," Ranzel governed the younger man. "Take a breath and relax. You don't need to be so angry about this."

Ranzel waited until Leo was as calm as he had insisted, and then went on. "They were Gnorlashes. They will attack and eat anything that invades their territory, and considering the extent of your training, you were very lucky to escape."

Leo gave him a brief, withering look, but managed to contain himself again as another wave of pain slashed away the emotion.

"You must give your back some rest," Ranzel murmured, looking over Leo with obvious worry. "Let your flesh heal, and tomorrow we can do some hard work on mental exercises, so that you may use the Force to help you heal."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Stepping gingerly onto the bridge, Leo found himself alone. So Ranzel really had been snoring that loud, he mused to himself. He wanted to find out more about the alien that he'd found himself fighting, since Ranzel had all but avoided mentioning it to him at all.

Now Leo was determined to find out a little information on his own. If the Jedi Knight refused to give up anything that he knew, he would simply have to search the library in the same way he had on Xircamede. Now he knew a little more about that particular system it shouldn't be that difficult, after all.

Leo took the pilot's chair and sat down quietly in the seat, wincing as a shot of pain went up his back. He knew he should be sleeping. Ranzel had warned him that they would begin some mental exercises in the morning to help his body recover.

However, Ranzel was asleep, and Leo wanted to not attract too much attention from the Jedi. He opened the computer panel and activated just that section, like Ranzel had taught him to.

The panels, screens and lights flickered on instantly, with less delay than a light switch, and Leo looked over the displays routinely. There was nothing wrong here – nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Leo tapped the screen before him, and then managed a few more switches before he succeeded in connecting the Renzucon to the Pentusar spaceport information superstructure.

He began to browse the library in silence, flicking slowly through the list of alien species, just in case he happened upon a file that resembled the alien he had been fighting.

It was more difficult than he'd suspected it would be. There were far more alien species in this galaxy, and if you counted the fact that the entire universe was full of different races…well, Leo was beginning to be less inclined to believe that the alien race he wanted to find actually existed in this listing at all.

Leo had just finished browsing E - Eyrillonite, Eystine, Ezameen – when he became steadily aware of something or someone standing behind him. Without flinching, or drifting from changing on to F, Leo allowed himself to relax, unhurried, since he was in no immediate danger, and reach out slowly with the Force.

Not that he need to. As soon as he began to relax, he knew instantly that it was Ranzel standing behind him, and further concentration only proved that he was tired, and perhaps a little annoyed that Leo was awake.

But Ranzel knew that Leo was reaching out to him, and he didn't stay back any longer. He stepped forwards and sank into the co-pilot's seat, looking up at the redhead silently.

"You're searching for the alien species you mentioned to me?" he asked, softly. He needn't have asked the question, since he knew perfectly well what Leo was doing.

Leo nodded the affirmative anyway. "I thought, since you didn't know, I ought to look, in case you just hadn't heard of them."

"Ah…" Ranzel replied quietly. He stretched out a little in the seat. "…Despite the fact that I told you to get some rest?"

"Despite that…" Leo shifted his eyes up slowly. Ranzel looked like he was about to start lecturing, but Leo bit in. "My mother always taught me that obeying orders was all well and good, but a little initiative never hurt any plans."

"I understand your love for your mother, and what she means by that, but she, with all due respect – is not a Jedi Knight. If you worry yourself with what this alien species is, it will make your training more difficult. That is why I did not tell you."

Leo looked angry. His eyes blazed and he focused on Ranzel, ready to argue, but Ranzel lifted his hand. "Peace. I will tell you what I know, if you promise to sleep, and to try as hard as you can with the techniques I teach you tomorrow."

Biting back his anger, Leo thought briefly over Ranzel's option. It was a reasonable exchange. After all, it would have taken him so long to browse through those files… He nodded serenely. He did want to learn what Ranzel wished to teach him, and he certainly wanted to know about the alien. He wanted to sleep a little too, so it was entirely fair. Ranzel simply continued to give him everything he wanted, in return for Leo's willingness to accept what he was taught.

"The species that you seek is the Jamafet. They are very adept at being brutal, due to their natural strength. There were two species on their planet. The powerful Jamafet Meridians, and the human like, but far more intelligent, Jamafet Mondians. They work very well together, and as a team make perfect spies."

Ranzel tilted his head back thoughtfully, and Leo stepped forwards slightly. He could sense the uneasiness in his Master.

"Their teams work a lot more with the Empire now than with the rest of the galaxy. They get paid well, because they are effective. And considering that it was you that they chose to attack – I would assume that they were indeed working for the Empire."

Leo let the effect of those words sink in and then took a steady breath. So the Empire was after him, and now they had learned plenty of the things that Leo and Ranzel had tried very hard to keep silent. But perhaps all was not lost. He could still fight.

He straightened out and looked back at Ranzel firmly. The Jedi looked at him in return and then smiled warmly, giving Leo a little wave in the direction of the rest of the ship.

"Go to sleep, Leo."

Nodding, Leo came to his feet and stretched out even more. Sitting in the chair had hurt his back even further than the teeth had, and he gave a little groan of pain before looking once more towards the Jedi Knight. "Thank you." He said breathlessly, nodding his head in a half bow.

"Sleep well, little Jedi," Ranzel said softly, before reaching up to turn off the computer, and following Leo back in the direction of the bunks.

The state of Jedi meditation was a difficult one to reach. Firstly, the subject had to sit in complete silence – not necessarily in isolation, but they must silence themselves none the less. Secondly, they must focus on the Force, to a point where it not only surrounded them - but also tingled in every part of their bodies.

Leo sat facing away from Ranzel, his green eyes closed, and the very essence of the Force slowly surrounding him, melding with him. It was difficult, because Leo had such difficulty pinpointing exactly what the Force was. He would struggle to make it tangible, instead of simply using it. This, in Ranzel's point of view, was the entirety of the problem.

Now the Force was strong within the Renzucon. In the first few hours very little had come of the exercise, but now Leo was truly managing to find the energy within himself, even if he did have difficulty using it. This was where the new exercise would become important. It would help Leo to actually use the Force.

"Now that you are at one with the Force," Ranzel explained, with a steady voice so as not to break Leo from his concentration. "You must begin to focus it. Bring the energy through your body and focus on the wounds on your back. Can you see them?"

It took a moment for Leo to arrange his mind correctly in order to reach out with what he could. There had obviously been some terrible damage to his back. Parts of it were still only slightly torn where the teeth had grazed his flesh as they had lacerated the last of his clothing.

Other parts of his flesh had been torn into ribbons to such a degree, that synthetic skin had had to be applied to fill in the gaps. Leo could tell where it was synthetic. It had yet to fully mould itself to his flesh, and the hair was non-existent in places where it had yet to grow. A patchwork of little laser marks were scratched across the less damaged parts of his back; the skin raw where it had been recently sealed back together with whatever device the doctor had used.

Leo nodded quietly, knowing that Ranzel could sense his agreement. The Jedi went on as though he hadn't been interrupted.

"Feel the Force flowing through you to those wounds. Focus on it," Ranzel insisted softly, his smouldering brown gaze focused intently on the younger.

Leo nodded, letting the Force run through his injured body, like a wave of healing. He could feel the power as though it were blood moving through his veins, and when it reached the skin of his back he gave a little whimper of pain.

"Ignore the pain. Use the Force to accelerate the healing process," Ranzel said, soothing Leo perfectly.

Leo didn't say a word. Striking away the knowledge of pain, he began to ease the Force into the tears in his back, like one might gradually pull at a plaster, afraid of the pain that would occur if they simply pulled it off, roughly.

Hissing unknowingly in what pain had seeped through his restraints, Leo let the Force go as it liked, and began to focus the healing upon the tender planes of his back. It would be impossible to actually injure himself with the power of the Force…instead he was more likely to heal. It would be easier by far. Now, if he was using the Dark Side - that would be a different matter.

Slowly the Force caressed his injured body, working slowly through the inches of flesh that were hurt. It took a lot longer to actually affect the healing process than he'd suspected it would, but he could see it in his mind, the torn flesh of his back slowly merging back together – a tiny bit at a time.

Ranzel had an edge of proud surprise to him, now. Leo could feel the semblance of the emotion as he endeavoured to concentrate further. Later – Leo reminded himself – Later he would question exactly what Ranzel had been so surprised about. Now, he was intent upon healing, and continuing in the path that had aroused that kind of pride.

But healing his body was tiring, and the concentration involved eventually left Leo feeling drained. He struggled on, but he could get far less done.

Eventually, Ranzel stood up. "Don't try to heal any more, let your body relax, and ease back into the Trance. Shut your body down until you're resting. I'll be back in four hours. I'll expect you to be ready for some more healing by then."

Ranzel turned and left, leaving Leo to slip thankfully past the edge of consciousness. He could still feel the motion of time, but his body was shut down. It was like being a part of the Force itself. Alone in the room, in a trance like sleep, there was only Leo and the bulkheads, and yet, when Ranzel returned four hours later, Leo could feel the presence of the elder Jedi, and recognised easily the passing of time.

They carried on from there, Leo giving his body another three hours hard healing, before – too exhausted to move under his own power – Ranzel helped him to his bunk.

Sitting in bed, Leo sat looking silently at the GanGan bird. Its brilliant coloured feathers seemed to change colour ever so slightly as Leo looked at the card, but perhaps that was mere exhaustion affecting his vision.

"Ranzel?" he asked softly, looking over his thin, but warm blanket at the bustling Jedi.

"Yes, Leo?" Ranzel said, without looking up from tidying his bed.

"Do you know anything about the GanGan bird?" He asked softly.

"GanGan…not much…" Ranzel said; tapping his head and thinking back on everything he might have learnt. "They're capable of hiding in most environments, despite their bright colours – and as I recall it's lucky for you to see one, and that they might resemble some kind of deity on Tesizey."

Leo nodded silently. The shimmering colours made more sense now. "A God of Friendship then…?"

"I wouldn't know. A Jedi may know a lot, but not unlimited amounts. Perhaps if you asked Master Membar, he could tell you. He is, after all, from Tesizey himself."

Leo nodded and let his head fall back. Ranzel climbed under his own blanket and stretched out a little, and reaching out with the Force, Leo became aware of the intense feeling of pride and pleasure in the other.

Sleepily, he opened his mouth to question him about it, but he was already too tired and the sleep slowly plunged around him like a shroud.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After a couple of days of intense healing, Leo was okay to go back to his training. He had completely forgotten about asking Ranzel about his pride. Instead, he was intent on his learning, and on the Force around him.

He had no idea just how incredible his rate of healing was, especially considering how much he was used to the Force. Ranzel was however, but he left Leo to heal alone while he went about his duties searching for information.

While Leo rested between healing, he had plenty of time to think back over everything; his childhood, his mother – back on Xircamede, the children at the Temple. With the Force on his side, and the utter concentration of the sleepless trance, he could reach out and settle on any memory and happily realise exact details as though the image were still before his eyes.

Soon he was better enough to consider training more. Ranzel had found a very old remote droid on one of the market stores on Pentusar, and had spent about two hours rewiring it to be a training module, instead of merely acting as interior defence.

When Ranzel had a moment free from his searching for information, he set the remote up, activating it with the Force. The little thing twitched into life and rose into the air, hovering before Leo.

Hesitating, the Padawan glanced at his Master. "What do I do?" He asked.

"It'll attack you as soon as it's warmed up. You must defend yourself against it. The art of the Jedi is in defence, not in offence. Attacks, unless in true self defence, can only be in anger. And you already know what lies further upon that path."

Leo nodded and took his lightsaber from its place, bringing it defensively across his chest. He raised his eyes to the remote silently.

"When I deem you ready, you'll have to fight it blindfolded," Ranzel warned softly. Leo nodded his understanding. Now he knew that the Force came better in such detachment, it was easier to realise Ranzel's reasons for forcing such conditions. If he could feel the remote instead of see it, then he would lose a lot of his restraint – particularly if he had to fight in bad circumstances or complete darkness.

Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Leo was subjected to a momentary surge of that same proud feeling as it rose in Ranzel for a moment. He endeavoured not to be distracted by it, because in that same instant, the remote made its first move.

It plunged to one side, rolled and rose, firing low at Leo's side. Dipping the tip of his lightsaber, Leo managed to deflect the blow, but only just.

The remote retreated, and he opened his eyes to look up at it, surprised at what he'd done.

"Do not be so amazed, Leo. You have been managing similar feats for a while – although not in the same way."

Leo nodded and closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath and focusing on the Force around him. He could feel the remote; almost see it in front of him. A whirling of engines sent it rising up in front of him, and Leo quickly lifted his weapon, blocking a blow above, and then another behind him as he twisted fully to defend himself from it.

The remote seemed to be frustrated now. It spun back in a quick circle, but Leo was already ahead of it, taking a series of blows in his step – his lightsaber absorbing the energy.

"Very good," Ranzel said softly. "You can feel it now. I never imagined you would succeed so quickly."

So that was it. Ranzel was proud of him, because he had learnt so easily the ways of the Force. Perhaps he had, Leo mused. After all, he had only been in this environment for a short time.

After another ten minutes of hard work with the remote, Ranzel ordered Leo to stop and take a shower, and then go back into the trance for two hours. Obediently, the younger bowed and went to do just that, happy with the bound forward that their training had taken.

Ranzel was gone when Leo slipped back out of his meditation. He had felt him go but not rose himself, although it was somewhat early for him to awake. Sleepily he reached out with the Force, trying to find out what had woken him. The feeling that he found was instantly sobering; a clinging darkness that seized around his heart, overwhelming in its power.

Leo was on the bridge within seconds of his rising. Whatever it was, it was big, and dangerous. He activated everything he could, instantly, then sank down into the pilot's chair.

He had to quell his panic, he realised. It would do no good to be caught unawares. Relaxing, he let himself focus on everything he had learnt, the calm knowing of the Force around him settling. With his concentration the feeling of darkness increased. It was a choking terrible feeling, sending out tendrils that crawled around his heart and clung to him, trying to take him.

Filling himself with the Force and focusing on driving back that darkness seemed to hold it at bay though, and Leo could manage that at the same time as reaching out with the Force. The darkness wasn't in the bay, and a glance at the controls affirmed that. The station…it still had its own dark patches, but nothing as severe as what he felt now. No…that particular darkness seemed to come from overhead – which meant…

Leo's hand was already on the controls. Bringing up the planetary sensor grid, he could instantly see the ships in orbit. A few taps to the controls identified friend from foe, and he finally realised that the source of the darkness must be within the ships themselves.

Glowing in bright red; the Universal danger colour: was a giant ship, flanked by two smaller ones. The largest of the ships was a long, elegant V shaped image on the display, like an arrowhead. It sent a tremor of fear through Leo, which he struggled to suppress, because it seemed to make the darkness within him fight all the harder.

They were here for him. They must be. Whoever was up there, creating such an evil presence was here for him, and the creeping feeling around his heart confirmed it.

Tense, Leo sat in the pilot seat, struggling to settle the turbulence within him. Ranzel needed to return, and they had to go – quickly. His hand hovered over the control which would start the ship's ascent.

That was when the voice came. It sang with the power of the Dark Side – every single word trembling with the sheer strength of it. Leo had to hold his breath to focus, striking down a sudden wave of nausea and fear that filled him. He had to fight it, because if he let it win, the darkness would close around him; consume him.

_I can feel you, _came the voice; strong and true.

Leo suddenly realised he couldn't breathe. He closed his eyes, focusing more on controlling himself.

_You will be mine,_ insisted the voice.

"No," Leo replied loudly. To the room it felt stupid. Without thinking he reiterated it, sending the negative back through the connection fearlessly. _I will not be a puppet for the Dark Side._

He must have managed to throw off the speaker, because whoever he was, he went silent, and seconds later Ranzel appeared in the bay below them. He had his lightsaber out, and he was deflecting bolts that came from within the caves as he retreated.

It was obvious to Leo that Ranzel had found himself in a little trouble. The source of the trouble appeared seconds later after him. Soldiers in battle armour seemed to be firing at him erratically as he backed towards the ship. Desperate to help, Leo turned to the controls, using his left hand to open the ramp of the ship as Ranzel reached it.

His right hand worked swiftly over the panel. If he could get the canon working, he could take down the soldiers. He pulled up the screen, shifted the console into position…

_Close it! _Ranzel, this time, and Leo had his hand on the ramp control instantly, shutting it behind the Jedi, while his right hand went for the command stick.

Leo instantly had the weapons to bear within the bay, and this apparently was enough to make the troopers back away. Ranzel came in beside him and grabbed his hand, forcing it from the controls. "No. If you fire that in here, the walls will deflect it. They absorb smaller shots harmlessly, but a larger one would bounce back and take out the ship."

Ranzel forced Leo to relent the controls and then cycled through a few commands with stunning speed. Watching, Leo could only assume that he was hacking the docking bay computer systems, because seconds later the doors into the caves locked down, and the hatch above them began to open, instantly killing the Imperial villains that hadn't managed to escape.

Leo was still struggling to turn away the feeling of creeping darkness seeping through him, but Ranzel managed to get them into the air without his help. But that was about as far as he managed on his own, because a pair of ships suddenly made their appearance, sweeping over the top of the Spaceport at high speed.

"Looks like they were expecting an escape attempt," Ranzel murmured, and Leo lifted his eyes to the screen. The ships were coming in at full speed, while the Renzucon was still accelerating steadily.

"I don't fancy taking on those Destroyers, the Intergalactic Battlestar least of all. We'll skim the planet's surface, but it'll mean holding off their fighters until we get the planet between us and their tractor beams."

Leo nodded and took up the weapons controls once more, bringing up the correct viewpoint to focus on the fighters. They were silver ships, with twin engines on either side which looked a lot like razor shells. On the inside there seemed to be a pivot, with a smooth, egg shaped pod in the centre. As they changed direction, the gravity brought the pod round, so that no matter the tilt, the pilot was always upright.

"Fighters," Ranzel offered, to Leo's unasked question. "These ones are adapted for gravity flying. In a vacuum, the pods are static."

Nodding, Leo brought his hand onto the controls. Somehow, seeing into those pods through the black glass made it more real somehow. There were real people in there, doing their job – and killing them would be his only escape.

Steeling himself, he took aim on the first fighter. Two shots that hit, but no critical hit. The ship whirled, returned upright and rose again. Leo didn't look at the main screen to see just where Ranzel was flying; he found he could predict the change in direction well enough and easily adjusted to the change of angle with the motion of the ship, training the weapon on the fighter he'd been tracking before.

Eliminate it, and then think about the other one, he told himself. It would be more effective than flicking between them.

The ship whirled back into position, and a quick blast took out one of the engines, sending it skittering off across the barren rock.

"More ships joining in the fight," Ranzel warned, but Leo could already feel them. He tensed ever so slightly, and then returned to what he was doing, taking a few shots at the approaching fighter, each missing in turn.

"Conserve your canon. I can't give you any recharge now. We're depending on speed to get out of this."

Leo bit his lip and closed his eyes. If he had to save his charge, he would have to do this a different way. One hand resting on the controls, he concentrated on the Force.

It was difficult, because he had to work beyond the feeling of darkness that crept within him. The darkness wanted him to reach out to the life force and snuff the life out of the opposing pilot. He fought the urge valiantly. Instead, he sought out the ship's engine, trained his weapon on it with his eyes closed, and fired.

The ship spun and crashed in the same way, grinding to a halt on the planet's surface. There wasn't any time for congratulations. Leo could feel a part of that massive darkness approaching him – it was somehow more familiar than the feeling he got from above.

A wave of understanding hit him violently. It was the same feeling he'd had that first time he'd come into contact with the Empire…and that could only mean one thing. The smooth black fighter that they had witnessed on the way to Xircamede was joining the fight. He could feel it now, streaking closer, and leading in turn, a team of eight other fighters.

So this was the Sith he had come into contact with before, come to wreak revenge upon him and Ranzel?

Leo turned to the display panel, glancing quickly at the Battlestar and frowning. They were close to the horizon now. Just a little further and Ranzel would be able to start his ascent. It was necessity that Leo hold them off long enough.

Turning back to the image, Leo looked steadily over the slim shape of the dark fighter as it approached, his fingers braced on the trigger.

Another feeling was discernible in the darkness now, a bitter hatred that sank a cold knife into his belly. Something he or Ranzel had done had made this particular Sith so furious with him that he had pursued them like this. It was obvious that extreme caution was needed.

Shocking Leo in his suddenness, despite the connection to the Force, Ranzel whirled to the right, sending the ship spinning over itself. A shot from the nearest fighter missed them, and Ranzel swooped under another attack. That clarified something important. They were in range, and the serious fighting had begun.

Settling on the Force once more, and trying to strike away that bitter hatred and cold anger from his body; Leo began to go back to what he was doing. He tracked the enemy fighters with his mind, followed them with what he had learned, and when they showed any flaw, shot at them. But they had obviously been trained well. Each shot was well earned sharpness, and even then they sometimes missed with a sudden last minute swerve out of range.

Obviously used to fighting Jedi, Leo considered, privately.

The Renzucon suddenly began to bank upwards, spinning again to avoid a flurry of fire. One of the fighters had missed the change of direction, revealing his vessel to attack, and Leo took him out with three shots across his retreating flank. A glance at the scope beside him told him that there were still five more fighters and the leader, and that he had little more than a quarter of his canon charge remaining.

"We just have to get far enough from the planet to avoid the effect of gravity on the navi computer," Ranzel said, an odd sense of calm in his voice. Leo could feel the serenity flowing through his Master, the connection to the Force that so far had held the ship together.

The ships were still pursuing, but now Leo had hope on his side. He turned on them, and only took the shots when he was sure to be aiming true. He couldn't waste the canon now, especially when they still needed to run the navi computer through.

In mere seconds the Renzucon burst out through the thin, toxic atmosphere into the black depths of space, and Ranzel advised: "Give it fifteen seconds, then hit the navi computer."

Leo nodded, flicking his eyes down to the screen again. The black fighter was advancing upon them, and he bit his lip. It wouldn't want to lose them into hyperspace again – he assumed it would be an embarrassing failure.

Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen – his mind told him, and his hand snapped over to hit the control on the navi computer. It was already set for Cantauri. Beyond that, it would have to find satisfying numbers.

The first two numbers loaded immediately. And then they began to take longer, as it decided on the best course to take through the star map. Leo turned his attention back to the fighters. The black one was moving erratically – far too fast for his weapons to track. It plunged and rolled, but its mass provided cover for the fighters behind it too, and all Leo could do was watch them come closer.

"Hurry," he hissed softly, more to himself than anything else, before focusing one last time. His heart was beating frantically in his chest, and he could feel the darkness there still. It was haunting, but he ignored it, clinging instead to the Force, and letting the warmth spread through him. No…he was not afraid. He could defend himself.

Leo felt the fighter level its weapons directly on the Renzucon's engines. There was nothing he could do. It fired, and he reached out desperately to try and stop it, knowing full well that it was impossible. This was it then. The end…


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The star-lines plunged past the window, like a flurry of burning arrows. Leo didn't know how they had made it, but somehow they had. The ship was in hyperspace, and whatever damage was intended from the fighter's weapon; it had been narrowly avoided.

Dizzying hyperspace light flashed around them sporadically, and Leo looked quietly towards Ranzel.

"That was very close," mused the older man, sending Leo a significant glance.

"Do things like that often happen?" Leo asked, softly. The immediate fear of the fighter had not quite worn off yet. It had been a terrifying few minutes.

"Often enough – this is a war, and sometimes attacks occur at the worst times. But that was different. They didn't seem to be pursuing with the intent of destruction. Neither did the Battlestar destroy the colony, which it could have done easily.

No, I think they had a different motive in mind when they arrived here, and I believe it must have had something to do with your friends in Section E." Ranzel finished, his eyes turned back towards the star streaked display.

"You mean that they were after me? Why didn't the aliens who kidnapped me take me to the Empire?" Leo asked, tensely.

"The Jamafet do not work directly for the Empire, and they are not Bounty Hunters. They're much better at being spies, and it's not in their interests to make themselves known as anything else. It was surprising they even kidnapped you – they tend to be a lot more subtle in their research."

"I see," Leo mused, lowering his head. So he might still come into contact with Bounty Hunters, or even more likely, with the Empire again. It was a terrible burden, to know that the massive star ship, and that horrible black presence was setting about simply to find and capture him.

Ranzel came to his feet and stepped over to turn Leo's seat, purposefully distracting him from his dark thoughts. "Come. We are on the way back to Cantauri now, and it would do you some good to get a little more training in before we arrive."

Repulsorlifts blasting, the Renzucon came down onto the Temple landing bay with a heavy clunk. The engines shut off one by one, and Leo could almost feel the ship relax through the trance. He could sense the Force here more than he had been able to last time – the Temple was alive with it, the whole structure a living source of it.

Within it he could feel the power of the inhabitants; the utter, incomprehensible strength of the Jedi Masters, and the lesser power of the students.

Two Masters stood on the platform outside; Membar and Arakaziel. Membar's Apprentice stood beside him, and a younger student flanked Arakaziel, looking up at the ship in silence. Leo could feel the student's power, and he suspected that he too could be felt. Perhaps there would be a way to block that feeling of power. It might be useful to find out.

Meanwhile, he began to clear away the sleepiness of his mind, rising slowly to his feet. Ranzel appeared through the hatchway as he turned to meet him, fully aware now.

"Come. We are expected."

Nodding, Leo moved forwards, following the retreating Knight through the door, and then down the ramp to the landing bay. Membar stepped forwards.

"Allow me to offer our respect. You had a narrow escape, as I hear it," Membar said, warmly.

Ranzel bowed to the Master, and Leo followed his example. "We did indeed. News still travels faster than light, I see?"

"Yes, it does," Membar replied, turning his eyes towards Leo. "Even the Jedi must have their sources in this dark time."

Leo found himself flinching, and lowered his head again. Membar seemed to have finished speaking, and he left room for Arakaziel to take over.

"This is Tehirehtil. She is a very capable initiate, and I hope she finds herself a capable Knight to train her," he flicked his gaze ever so briefly towards Ranzel.

"She will be my opponent tomorrow?" Leo asked, steadily. After everything that had happened on Pentusar, Leo felt ready for anything. The blonde didn't look like she would be too difficult to beat. Her hair was thin, and she had a confident, but sour look on her face. Her cold, grey eyes studied him as though he was a speck of dirt. Leo was sure it wasn't done on purpose.

"Yes," Arakaziel replied, glancing proudly at Tehirehtil for a moment and then turning his gaze back to Leo. "I suggest you prepare yourself well. She will not be a pushover. When I say she is promising, you must know that I mean it."

Leo realised that perhaps Arakaziel might have noticed how sure of himself he was, and he was intent on smoothing out that flaw. An ego could be a terrible thing. He lowered his head in agreement. "I will do just that - My thanks, Master Arakaziel."

Arakaziel seemed satisfied, and the whole group turned to head inside.

Leo shifted back a step, whirled and caught the attack from the Mandorc before it could land on his undefended back. He stepped forwards, using his weight to press the creature back. It was at twice its original speed still, but now Leo found it much easier to defend himself against the creature. Even this fast, the simulation still seemed slow with the Force guiding him.

Standing to one side, Ranzel watched with interest as Leo bounded back from the creature and then plunged to roll on one side as it threw its axe at him.

The Mandorc ambled forwards and picked up its abandoned axe, glaring at Leo furiously. Unflustered, Leo listened to the Mandorc's approach, and then dodged around it, catching an attack from the beast and shuddering under the force of its blow.

This was his second time this evening. Firstly he'd trained with the Mandorc on low speed, but he'd managed that easily. Even now he was still finding it easy, even with the blindfold ceasing his vision. He had definitely improved since the last time. He dodged around another desperate attack, and with the base of his lightsaber, delivered a blow to the back of the Mandorc's head, sending the stupid, exhausted hologram to its knees.

Ranzel stepped forwards in congratulation, but Leo lifted his lightsaber once more. "Give me something else," he insisted, determinedly. "I know the Mandorc won't fight like a Jedi."

Leo could feel the indecision wafting off Ranzel. The old Knight was afraid that he was pushing himself too hard. But Leo was determined to do this last minute training. When he woke up, he would be thrown into battle with another, unpredictable creature.

He tried to offer some encouragement to the older man. "I'll be fine, Ranzel," he murmured.

"Do not get too big a head, Leonard," Ranzel warned. "I will give you what I feel like giving you."

Turning to the controls, Ranzel thought to himself. He could, he supposed, go that far. It might offer something for Leo to think about. The Terran should learn that if he developed overconfidence, it might have disastrous consequences – and he never should be too sure of his abilities.

He decided on a Sith Apprentice, which would learn from each of Leo's moves, force him to adapt. That after all would be what the Temple Initiate would do. The single difference was that the Initiate ought to be calm, while the anger of the Sith holo would drive it to attack.

"Relax. Focus on the Force," Ranzel advised. "Reach out to it, gently."

Leo took a deep breath and relaxed his body, trying to get somewhat of the trance-like state he had begun to develop. He had learnt quickly, yes, but he had certainly not mastered it – now, with the impending battle, it was even harder to settle his mind and concentrate on the Force flowing through him.

He could, to a degree feel things about him now. He could fix onto the feelings of Ranzel as he stood across from him without too much effort. The older man had come to a decision and he seemed to be busying himself with something. He was four meters away. The mat in the centre of the training hall stretched out to either side of him for two meters to his left, and three to his right, but backwards and forwards it was the same distance, two and a half metres.

What else? He asked himself, in the same way that Arakaziel had; what felt like months ago, before the visit to Pentusar. There was a slight curl in the right corner of the mat. The material had thinned to show through some of the soft silver substance it was made of. Gym equipment surrounded him; balances and poles - and a great climbing frame that circled overhead. The Temple was certainly well kitted out.

Again there was the high ceiling, going above even the complicated climbing frame which stretched at odd angles upward still. And at the very top a ring of lights illuminated the floor below. They felt hot even from here, or perhaps that was the effect of the strain of battle on his body.

The walls were made of the same dark silver rock that the rest of the building was constructed from - seeming almost as though they had grown from the ground. It was almost organic, and Leo could feel - perhaps even see - the flow of the Force through the twisted stonework.

Ah, the training module was before him now. If he concentrated hard enough he could form it into the image of a thin, clear thing before him, but he didn't need to see it to know what he had to do. The Force was helping him now. The module attacked, and Leo dropped the tip of his lightsaber to deflect the blow. The image was strong, fast and intelligent, and it seemed to be using a lightsaber – at least, that was what it sounded like; a clatter of electrical force as the two similar weapons clashed together, sending up sparks.

There was something else, though; the same dark feeling that he had sensed in the presence of the Sith's black fighters, and under the shadow of the Battlestar. It made his skin prickle with cold, although he had been feeling warm enough seconds before. Why had Ranzel pit him against the Dark Side of the Force? The cold crawled around his heart again, and he had to fight it, even as he waited for the next attack.

Leo had to move quickly to catch with the base of his lightsaber a blow from the base of the enemy's. This time Leo was sure it was a lightsaber the other creature was using. He remembered the sound of the clash from when the trainees had been fighting each other for Ranzel to see.

He pushed his attacker away and took a step to his right, turning into the other as he moved. There were differences between them, obviously. The training module was using the Dark Side – his attacks were in anger, powerful and determined in a way that was no doubt in earnest of dissuading Leo, while Leo was in contact with the Force in its purest form. His attacker knew what he was doing, and how to use what he knew, whereas Leo was still learning.

But Leo was on the defence. All he had to do was dodge and block, and the anger in his opponent would exhaust him to a point where he could fight no longer.

The simulation attacked him in a way he hadn't expected it to. It lunged with a death blow towards his head. He twirled his lightsaber up to catch it, and pushed the other back to a predictable distance. So that was the trick was it? The simulation danced away from him, taking up the defensive, testing his control for a weakness it could exploit.

It waited, then faked an attack and then came from him on the reverse thrust, learning all the time from what succeeded, and what Leo only barely managed to avoid.

And all the time, the darkness froze Leo's heart, and he had to fight back the waves of blackness that threatened to consume him. It was a battle on both fronts, and Leo wondered whether all Jedi felt this when they fought.

When the simulation was too exhausted to fight back, Ranzel deactivated it and congratulated Leo, offering him a towel to dry the sweat from his face and leading the tired Padawan back through the Temple until they reached the mess hall. The room was barely larger than the training room, in all reality, but much brighter and less cluttered, thus giving the appearance of space

The walls seemed to glow in areas, and Leo sank down at a table. A few flustered initiates looked over at them and then giggled amongst themselves and flew. Ranzel offered Leo an amused look, and then a cool glass of water.

"How do you feel when you are confronted with the Dark Side of the Force?" Leo asked, after he had caught his breath enough, and the heat had begun to fade from his cheeks.

Ranzel was studying him in detail, the strains in Leo's face as he brought this up. "I feel it as an evil, like you might feel an attack coming your way."

Leo looked at his water silently for a few long moments. Finally he lifted his eyes to Ranzel. "I feel it clutching at my heart. I have to fight it, as much as I fight the attacks themselves," he admitted.

Looking very tense, Ranzel replied, "Then you must fight it…because if you lose the fight with the Dark Side then you will suffer for your failing."

"Will it become easier?" Leo asked, examining Ranzel's expression hopefully.

"It will," Ranzel replied, his eyes fixed on the liquid in his own glass of water. "As you understand it more, you will learn better to fight it."

Leo felt morose in the silence that followed. It felt strange, to have been in such close contact with the Dark Side. It seemed worse still now that Ranzel had explained that what he felt was very different – as though there was no-one to help Leo deal with the problems that now confronted him.

Forcing himself from his sensitivities, Leo nodded and sipped down the rest of his drink. "We should get back to the ship. I'd like a shower, or I'll be too smelly to sleep."

Ranzel nodded, and rose steadily. "It'll have to be a cold shower mind; better to cool your muscles."

Wincing, Leo turned a scowl on the older man, but he could hardly dissolve his logic.

"Fine," he admitted, "A cold shower."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Leo woke the next morning, an uncomfortable ache in his arm where he'd been taking the strong blows of the Mandorc. He spent a few moments clearing the sleep from his mind, and when he was quite satisfied, eased the Force to dull the pain in his arm. Within seconds it was gone, and he allowed himself to climb out of the bunk.

Ranzel was already up; Leo could feel him bustling around in the cargo bay.

Once he'd dressed, and recovered his lightsaber from under his pillow, he felt ready enough to find the Jedi, so he left the room, stretching as he went.

Just as he passed the doorframe, a swift premonition of danger dashed across his mind. Jump and roll. He did so, narrowly avoiding the attack of the dull grey remote he'd been fighting while they were still on Pentusar.

He'd almost forgotten about it, but it seemed to be on a higher level now. It rolled and dived for him again, and he activated his lightsaber and brought it up, warding off a series of frenzied blows without thinking about them.

So this was Ranzel's version of "Good morning"? He rolled again under the remote, span onto his back and blocked another attack. He'd have to thank him for this one personally. He rolled his eyes and barely deflected the next attack, before another flurry apparently ended the remote's program. It sank to the ground and then deactivated, and Leo turned off his lightsaber and picked up the little droid.

Better to stay alert though, in case Ranzel had something else planned to exhaust him before his battle with the Temple Initiate.

Apparently, that wasn't the intention, because Ranzel met him above the exit of the Renzucon.

"Are you warmed up?" he asked, before Leo could say anything.

Leo shook his head, not thinking he really needed to answer that question. They made their way off the ship and went inside of the Temple once more. Breakfast, Arakaziel had explained, while they ate dinner the previous night. Breakfast, and then, when their food had settled and the Temple was awake, they would go to the hall.

Until that moment, Leo hadn't realised that this would be a spectacle. Now he was aware that a good deal, if not all of the Initiates would be there, and beyond that, any of the other Jedi that happened to be in the Temple at the time.

It was a considerable prospect. All those people watching him for anything that might show his lack of ability. But Ranzel seemed so sure of him – he would risk it for the Jedi.

They stepped into the mess hall which had been so dark and empty the night before. Now there were youngsters at every table, all caught in their own conversations. Some of them were using the Force, practicing levitating small objects. Others were playing with the same cards that Leo had seen being used before. He spotted the youngsters he had spoken with before sitting opposite each other further on down the hall.

Begging a moment from Ranzel, Leo made his way to speak to them. He bowed ever so slightly in greeting. "It's good to see you again. And how is your training going?"

The two grinned up at him, twisting slightly in their seats. The girl was the first to speak. "Thank you for your interest, Padawan Black."

"Oh," Leo said, stunned. "Of course I'm interested. After all, it is merely a friendly enquiry." He let his hand go into his robes, flashing the image of the GanGan bird in their direction.

The two looked at each other again, as in sharing something, and then looked back at Leo. "We never introduced ourselves," said the boy. "We're twins. My name is Ezekiel Nithnar."

"And mine's Ozakiel Nithnar," added the girl.

"Then it is very nice to meet you, Ezekiel and Ozakiel."

They giggled again and then said in perfect harmony, "And you, Padawan Black."

"We hope you do well today," added the boy.

"Thank you," Leo said softly, and then lifted his head. Ranzel was beckoning him to return. "I must go, D'Kar wants me."

The twins nodded solemnly as he slipped back to the Jedi Knight. He sank down in the place next to Ranzel at the Master's table and glanced up the length of the surface. Arakaziel sat at the other end, speaking gently with the Initiate Tehirehtil.

Leo turned to the odd breakfast set out before them, and settled on the most edible looking things, with Ranzel's advice.

The Jedi didn't seem to be passing him any last minute pearls of knowledge – perhaps to Leo's advantage, because he could relax himself and not think about the coming battle.

It took a while for him to eat enough to satisfy his hunger, and without the fear, he realised he had been able to eat better. Breakfast had been a calming beginning to the ordeal. Now, when he rose, the entire hall seemed to be looking at him.

"Come," Ranzel advised, placing his hand on Leo's shoulder and leading him from the hall. Arakaziel watched them leave in silence – Leo could feel the tall alien's eyes on his back.

There were so many people. Almost all the Initiates were there, Leo assumed. They were sitting around on the ground, cross legged, facing the floor at the centre of the arena with excitement.

Beyond them, there must have been twelve Jedi Masters in total, including both Membar and Arakaziel. Several Jedi and their Padawans sat opposite the Masters. Ranzel sat with them alone, watching firmly. There was no help for Leo now.

Leo's heart was pumping frantically, and he had to use all of his ability with the Force to quell the sudden flutter of nausea that grew within him. If he failed, all these people would see it. It would be a particular dishonour, considering the Jedi he faced was not even a Padawan.

He was okay…he would be fine so long as he didn't let fear rule him, and didn't let the Initiate anger him. He took a steady breath, set his hands by his side and closed his eyes, letting himself focus on the Force, blocking out everything around him. Within the powers he felt he sought Tehirehtil, and when he found her he concentrated on nothing but her, even though they were not yet together.

A familiar chill fluttered through his bones. There was something not quite right about her, an odd darkness that seemed to be intended towards him. He wondered whether anyone else could see it when they concentrated on her. Perhaps it was simply because he was to be her opponent, but the feeling was the same as the Dark Side had been, slipping up towards him in an attempt to conquer his heart.

It was certainly becoming easier to hold that force at bay without expending too much energy on it, and Leo marked it for later reference. Perhaps in battle, tempting out that hidden desire could make the battle end faster. He thought about it even without realising it, the strategy becoming a part of his formula instantly.

Leo opened his eyes and someone approached his vicinity. He knew it was a Master before he saw him, and he stepped forwards. "Membar," he said warmly.

"Yes, it is I," Membar said, smiling at the Padawan. "You feel so much stronger since last we met, Padawan Black. Pentusar was good for you?"

Shaking his head, Leo explained shortly. "I was attacked by Gnorlashes. I spent a good deal of my time on Pentusar in a state of meditation."

"D'Kar didn't mention that," Membar admitted. "Are you sure you shall be okay fighting so soon after that?"

"I spent almost all afternoon and evening yesterday training with holograms," Leo said. "If fighting was too much for my body, I wouldn't be on my feet today."

Membar nodded, slowly. "Perhaps you are right, Padawan Black."

"I wanted to ask you, Master Membar…you're Tesizan, aren't you? On of the students gave me a card, and I wanted to know more about it…"

"The GanGan bird?" Membar asked. Leo hadn't even shown him the card, but he'd known none the less. "It represents Marniani, the Goddess of Eternal Friendship. It's suggested that she gave it its special abilities, and so sometimes masquerades as the GanGan bird itself. It uses cloaking abilities to blend into its environments and is very shy…so it is very lucky to see it in its natural form. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yes. Thank you very much." Leo was filled with warmth at the knowledge that he had gained, and suddenly the fight seemed like so much fodder. There were more important things than just winning.

"Now then," Membar said, seriously. "I am to assure that you cannot see." He brought his clumsy hands up, tying a blindfold about Leo's eyes and then leant back to examine it. "Can you see anything?"

Leo shook his head, and Membar smiled warmly. "Then listen for the bell. I wish you luck, Padawan Black."

It wasn't long after Membar had gone that the bell actually went. It sounded more like a gong though, with a slight, echoing shimmer rounding off the sound. He took in a steady breath. It was time then…

Reaching out with his mind, Leo could make his way very carefully between the Initiates who were sat before him. He stepped between them, flinching in his blindness. He didn't want to start off the experience by inadvertently kicking anyone. He kept one hand on his lightsaber and the other by his side, feeling very defenceless, except for the weapon, and the Force.

He could feel Tehirehtil across from him, her darkness towards him making her slightly more tangible to him. He narrowed his eyes behind the blindfold in concentration and stepped silently to stand opposite Tehirehtil on the large arena mat. There was a hush around him.

"Bow to your opponent," came the voice of a Master Leo had not yet met.

None the less, he bowed. Tehirehtil did too

"Take up your lightsabers," the voice went on, satisfied.

Leo took his lightsaber from where he had been holding it cautiously. He ignited it, and the protective power of the weapon soothed any turbulence his nerves might have been experiencing.

"You may begin on the ring of the bell."

Waiting for the sound again was agony. There was only the hush, the steady breathing of two hundred Force-knowing beings, and the buzz of the two lightsabers. The bell seemed loud in comparison when it finally sang out over the room – and the battle began.

They circled like dogs, waiting for the battle. All be it, if they were dogs, they were reserved, and not rabid. Matching, Leo and Tehirehtil kept their lightsabers in defensive positions. Neither seemed to want to strike – showing just how well trained they were.

Leo could feel the desire to win flowing off Tehirehtil. She wanted so badly to impress Master Arakaziel, he mused. He continued to circle, using as little energy as possible – and then he simply stopped moving, and she stopped too.

Keeping his patience, Leo remained on his toes. The darkness that gripped at him that seemed to be flowing from Tehirehtil just to him continued to break in waves around the protective barrier of his heart. She would strike first – that edge of darkness proved it to him. All he had to do was continue to wait patiently and the attack would come.

She followed the pattern just as he had thought she would. Her movement was sudden, he suspected to her, but for a fraction of a second Leo could sense her body readying for the motion, and that, combined with the sudden burst of darkness that swept at him and almost knocked him off balance was warning enough. He brought his lightsaber up instinctively to block parallel to his head, and Tehirehtil's blade clashed harmlessly against it.

Quickly she moved straight for another attack, turning her weapon to one side and trying to come up under Leo's guard. He was too fast for her though. He caught that one too, and with speed and precision blocked an attack spun off his defence that was aimed directly for his other side.

They fell apart again - their strengths tested with those few strikes. It would be a moment longer as they considered each other, Leo thought, and then she would strike again.

Once more she was quick to do just as Leo expected her to. She rolled to his right side, corrected her position and plunged at a right angle towards his legs, sending her lightsaber in an upwards strike.

Leo was already gone though. With a surge of energy, combined with the Force he had grown to be quite content with, he sent himself into a forward flip that avoided the total range of her lightsaber. The Force carried him further and higher than he had expected it to, and he was quite stunned with what he'd achieved. No time to be proud though, he knew he needed to concentrate on his defence…

Using a move he'd learnt from the Sith hologram, he turned his wrist, pretending to drop the lightsaber, but rescuing it before gravity could carry it downwards. He turned it into his palm, where it could once more be used and plunged forwards, the edge of his blade briefly touching against the fluttering edge of Tehirehtil's robes as she barely managed to move out the way and brought her lightsaber against Leo's to keep it back.

With a burst of energy she threw her weight into it their combined lightsabers, shoving the opposing blade in an overhead move that left Leo open and trying to move into the space before he could recover.

Again, Leo proved too quick. As soon as she began, he lifted his other hand to join the first, helping to keep his lightsaber from being thrown away by the force of the movement, and evenly he shifted his strength, turning the weapon back almost against his chest to block her attack.

They fell away from each other again.

Tehirehtil's anger was rising. With every blocked move, and especially with Ranzel's near miss, she had become steadily more frustrated. Leo in return was concentrating. His gentle calmness rolled off him in waves, crushing the rising darkness before it.

If this was the best the Temple had to offer…Leo shook his head. Perhaps Arakaziel _had_ known about her connection to the Dark Side – but at the time, Leo had still been too easily affected by the darkness.

He concentrated again. There was no time to consider the corruption of Jedi Masters. All he knew was that Tehirehtil was more dangerous like this – but the angrier she got, the more likely he may be to defeat her.

The Initiate plunged at him again, and Leo lifted his lightsaber once more to block another useless overhead attack, and then the same two moves she had used after it last time. A useless waste of energy in that attack, and then to follow it she tried a crude swing of the lightsaber, which only ended up in her being blocked and pushed aside with a rough, spinning shove from the combined strength of Leo's arms.

Even though he saw his opening in that move, Leo didn't take it. He could have ended the battle there, taking her out after he'd spun her away. He could feel Ranzel's approval, dull on the edge of his senses. He was good to not take advantage of her first weakness, and he knew that if Ranzel had seen it, the Jedi Masters had too.

Leo became more relaxed, and as he did so, the Force seemed to sing its power within him. It made it almost easy to predict Tehirehtil's moves.

And then she made her second error: She charged at him, in the same blind way that he had charged the Gnorlashes.

Leo sidestepped, and she predicted that, bringing her weapon up to try and catch him by surprise. But Leo had known she would try just that. He brought his lightsaber up to catch hers as she passed, flicked it away with a flourish and then wheeled at her defenceless back, bringing the weapon down lightly towards her, but stopping short

The bell rang, and for a second, Leo thought she was about to attack again. Her shoulders were shaking with her anger. But suddenly Arakaziel was there, his massive power showing only a hidden disappointment, and perhaps a very distant touch of fury all his own. Leo deactivated his lightsaber, feeling the tenseness ease away.

Arakaziel had chosen her, and not only had she failed, but disgraced herself with her anger. But she was still young – for her there was still hope. For a moment, Leo had to think of how she must feel in that situation, and then Membar and Ranzel were with him, and he forgot all about empathy.

"Congratulations, Padawan Black," Membar said warmly.

"Congratulations indeed," echoed Ranzel, the warmth and pride in his voice once more.

Leo straightened up as Arakaziel appeared over the shoulders of the two Jedi. "You have certainly earned my respect," the grey haired Master intoned, bowing a little. He motioned a timid Tehirehtil before Leo, and they bowed to each other.

"You fought well, Padawan Black," Tehirehtil said. Her voice was soft, but her words echoed with bitterness she didn't show.

"And you," Leo said, though he didn't really believe his words…she had been so angry, so dark…

None the less, the ordeal was over. What could possibly top this?


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Leo sat on the very utmost rung of the massive climbing frame that was built into the stone walls of the gym. His feet braced him against the next rung down, and his left and right hands braced on the organic structure to either side of him.

It was very high here – much higher than Leo had originally expected it to be. The perception of height from below was much different to the perception he now had, looking down to the ground below. But that wasn't where his eyes wanted to remain.

Right now he was basking in the sunlight from the two suns that the planet revolved around. It wasn't like an installed window, but more like simple wall, which happened to be transparent. It had an obvious texture, but did not obscure the view beyond.

Below him the beautiful, intricate gardens of the Jedi Temple stretched out like a painting. The Initiates learnt to focus on the Force in living things, and they were capable of encouraging a plant to grow with this power. Thus, garden tending lessons kept them in good practice, and allowed them to provide their own food, and keep such a beautiful environment.

Some of the Initiates were on their break, while the others were in lessons. He could see the Masters below leading groups of students between tasks in fours or fives. Elsewhere, students played amongst themselves, or held races up and down the central path. Two of the elder students were practicing lightsaber techniques in slow motion beside a fountain, watched by their friends.

Further beyond the garden stretched infinite landscapes. Mountains that seemed too close to be reasonable. A lake, a river, even a desert, seemed almost planned in their proximity. Had this planet been terra-formed, then? Like someone might plan a garden, only on a larger scale?

It was a daunting prospect, but it would make sense. A day's walk could have the Initiates training in the snow after all; the perfect planet to train on, indeed. It would be wonderful to stay here a while and test his own boundaries…but he didn't have that kind of time. They would be leaving soon for Xircamede.

He swung across from one wall to the other and wriggled his way down between the bar he'd been sitting on, and the one his feet had rested on. He descended a little at a time, making good use of the Force to affirm his grip. At one point in his descent, he had to make a daring leap between one side of the cone shaped ceiling and the other.

Due to the battle, he was now far more confident in his abilities. Not to the point where he thought he might be able to pull his own against an enemy – but he wasn't afraid of defending himself. He let go of the bars and dropped the last two metres to the ground, landing with bent knees and then rising back to his full height.

Time to find Ranzel, he supposed. If everything was right, the older man should already have returned to the shuttle. He was looking forwards to seeing his mother again, and his heart was light as he took up his towel and brought it to the back of his neck to dry the accumulated sweat there.

He stepped over to recover his robes, pulling them around him as he made his way out into the hall.

And then he froze, as two powerful beings swept past him, ignorant of his presence. A gold skinned woman, and a lesser, in a cloak that covered his head. They weren't Masters here…

They seemed too busy to notice him, so he simply stood still to watch them as they disappeared further down the corridor. They were headed towards the landing bays, which was of course where he intended to go himself.

He began after them. The Renzucon and Ranzel were in this direction. The two figures seemed to be heading towards the same place, because they entered the bay ahead of him.

Leo was suddenly struck by the amount of power confined to the landing bay. Like the feeling that the Masters had given off when they were together. Why were they there…? A stroke of foresight warned him to be careful, and cautiously, Leo made his way to the door, peering through it.

A group of people were standing by the entrance hatch of he Renzucon, and the gold skinned woman was offering her hand towards the hatch.

Two people stepped forwards, escorting Ranzel, apparently. One held the gold skinned woman his Master's lightsaber, and Leo flinched. They were arresting him – taking his guide from him. At least now he knew why the people here felt so powerful. They must be from the Jedi Council.

But they would be looking for him now, would they not? Leo squinted – Ranzel was speaking calmly with the golden skinned woman. Arakaziel and Tehirehtil were there, and the woman turned to speak to them once she was done with Ranzel. They nodded in agreement then began to turn.

Leo moved back instantly, pressing his body against the wall. If there was any need to suppress his noticeable ability in the Force, then this was the moment. He turned and walked towards the second bay, calmly, trying to seem invisible; blend into his surroundings.

It was an odd feeling: He hadn't realised he had done anything - or that it was even possible. His vision dimmed little by little until he seemed to be walking in darkness. His footsteps made waves of sound in the dark, which seemed to get absorbed into the bubble Leo had built around himself.

The bizarre feeling continued. Arakaziel and Mehirehtil slipped by behind him, without - apparently - noticing him at all.

What had he done? It was like being blindfolded. He could still feel everything, avoid the walls as he moved, but he was blanketed by this darkness, and apparently, it had helped him hide.

Like the GanGan bird.

Slipping into the next room along, he could finally breathe, letting down the protective cloud from around him. It was a relief, because he was now exhausted. His chest heaved and he lowered his head slowly.

He had to think about what to do. Ranzel had warned him that if they came, they would send Leo back to Earth. That was one of the places Leo did not want to go, under any circumstances. Not now…not when the Galaxy had just been opened up for him. Besides…if they sent him there, would that be where the Empire followed him next? He didn't want to cause the destruction of his home world.

Ranzel wouldn't want him to turn himself in either…so there was only one option, Leo would have to go before the Council could catch him. On the run from both the Empire and the Jedi Council he would at least be able to continue his life.

But first he would have to visit his mother… His only weakness, he mused. She had been his pillar in the past, and she would serve now, he knew that well enough.

If he was to be alone in a bid to earn Ranzel's freedom – face a Galaxy he didn't understand, full of aliens he knew nothing about, with only the Force on his side – it would have to be a very strong pillar of support.

Now he had to get to the ship. A glance down the corridor revealed that the train of Jedi Masters were leaving. He reached out with the Force with silent concentration. There was still another in the bay, but they seemed to be standing guard rather than following the retreating Masters. He took in a breath and stepped into the hallway, bringing his hand up to pull the hood of his cloak up over his head, far enough to cover his eyes, and the majority of his face.

He swept into the room determinedly, making his way towards the ship. The figure stepped in front of the ramp, protectively, and Leo fell still and inclined his head a little.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"I must board the Renzucon," Leonard said, his voice at complete ease. This person wasn't a Jedi Master. Instead, he was one of the Padawan's that had been watching their fight earlier. That, at least, was a relief.

"You can't. My Master insists that none shall pass," replied the Padawan, with as equal steadiness as Leo had portrayed.

Leo lifted his head a little further, so he could see from under the hood. The boy he faced had short brown hair and a thin pony tail. His pale blue eyes were fixed warily on him. "Why is that?"

"The Council wishes to return you to your planet."

"Have I not earned my place amongst the Jedi? Don't I deserve the right to fight for my planet?" Leo asked, tentatively.

The Padawan seemed nervous. Obviously he thought that everyone should have the right to defend their home world.

"Let me pass," Leo insisted plaintively.

"I cannot…" The Padawan was having second thoughts, but he was still intent.

"Then I will have to pass you by other means," Leo said, recovering his lightsaber from beneath his robes and lifting it before him. "I do not wish to fight. Your Master did not order you to defend with force."

Obviously not, but still, Leo wasn't sure it would work.

Thankfully for him – it did. The Padawan sighed and stepped aside. "I cannot stop you. My conscience would not allow it."

Leo lowered his lightsaber and bowed. "I will remember your choice. And if you ever need my help, I will willingly provide it."

There was a space there, and the Padawan offered his hand. "Zennoth Omaga."

"Leonard Black," Leo replied, taking Zennoth's hand for a moment. It was only a moment, because as soon as he took it, a surge of warning ran through him. The Masters were returning.

"Goodbye," Leo said, hurriedly, stepping away and making his way up onto the ramp. He hit the door control swiftly enough that the stunned Padawan hadn't time to change his mind.

Locking down the ship like Ranzel had taught him to do on Pentusar, Leo found himself in momentary safety. There was no doubt the Masters would find their way to get into the ship if given the chance. Leo would have to have it up before such a time, which meant taking off as soon as possible.

He was in the pilot's chair in seconds, and very glad of Ranzel's good foresight in teaching him to fly. Now, he supposed, he would be having a lot more practice. He activated the computers, eyeing the more complicated controls of the navi-computer. The numbers were different to the designating number which had identified Cantauri.

Leo suspected that they represented the end point of their journey: Xircamede, the planet that his mother was on. At least he hoped that she was there.

He was procrastinating far too much. His mind told him the Masters where standing on the bay floor now, scorning Zennoth for letting Leo board the ship. He hoped the other Padawan would be okay, despite Leo's escape. He shifted to press his fingertips against the thrust control, bringing the power of the engine slowly upwards until the ship let a rumble of response and began to move forwards.

A little backwards tilt on the directional command allowed the ship to rise up in a smooth arc. Leo could feel the Masters below, and more noticeably Ranzel, full of relief, and worry. The Masters weren't furious, it would have betrayed the meaning of their existence – but they were irritated for the most part as they watched the ship rise without any chance to stop it.

Momentarily, Leo wondered if a combined effort from them might simply make his ship stop moving in midair. On second thoughts, he didn't want to know. He sent the ship to full power, and only began to relax again when he broke through the atmosphere into the empty vacuum beyond.

Unfortunately, his relief was short lived. He finally knew why they hadn't tried to stop him. The space he had come into was far from being empty. Maintaining its orbit, around the planet was the saucer shaped vessel Leo had seen in orbit around Xircamede, what seemed like years ago.

The display before him showed the vessel in green, with small, scrawling text beside it identifying it as a Mirage Class Union of Planets Battlecruiser. There was no way Leo wanted to get close enough to it to know more. If this ship was anything like the Empire ships, it might have tractor beams. He turned the Renzucon instantly away from it, bringing the nose around as he activated the navi-computer.

The bigger ship turned after him laboriously, its massive bulk making it difficult to point in the right direction – but its massive engines made up for it. It began to close with the Renzucon.

There was no fear now. Leo knew that the Renzucon would be in hyperspace before the ship could catch up with him. With any luck, the larger ship would be reluctant to follow until the members of the Jedi Council returned on board.

With a gentle tap of command, the Renzucon lurched obediently into lightspeed, leaving everything behind in a flurry of stars.

The last leg of his journey had begun. Back to Xircamede, and from there to embrace a life of secrecy.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Xircamede seemed defenceless without the ship guarding it, Leo thought, looking over the peaceful, golden planet as the Renzucon continued its steady trip onwards. The golden façade was nauseating if he studied it too hard. The planet's surface seemed to swirl with dizzying sobriety.

The closer he got, the more the sickness seemed to ease in his head. Perhaps it was simply the rush of his escape, of being alone in a massive Universe, with no-one to call his friend but a convict. Maybe it wasn't. For all that had happened, Leo still felt remarkably calm. An odd sense of peace enshrouded him.

He'd learnt so much in the last few weeks he'd spent with Ranzel. So much that he would now have to depend on to keep him alive. If the Empire were after him, he would have to keep moving. It would be so lonely travelling alone, he thought to himself. There was no Ranzel to soothe him, to force him to do hours of meditation and training, or even to explain trivial things when Leo thought of them in the middle of the night.

He was alone now, and unwilling even to risk his mother. Besides…she wouldn't understand. She would insist on their going home to normality, completely unaware of the potential destruction which could be unleashed upon their defenceless planet.

Leo didn't quite know what he was going to say to her when he found her. What _could_ he say? None the less, he would go. And then he would leave her too. There would be no point in risking her life as well as his own.

Suddenly the computer beeped, and an image of a dragon like being appeared unwarranted on the screen. Leo flinched. This, apparently, was the Malacite that Ranzel had visited while they were here last time. She looked mean. Bre-jo, was it?

"Where is Ranzel D'Kar?" Her snarling voice demanded through the speaker system. "Why are you flying his ship?!"

"D'Kar is my Master," Leo said, coolly, lifting his green eyes to the display in response to the Malacite's anger. "I fly his ship because he has found himself in danger."

"Danger…?" There was a slight waver in Bre-jo's voice. "Then why aren't you at his aid?"

"I am aiding him. I must discover the whereabouts of his last passenger, and take her to him." Leo lied, calmly. The Malacite looked like she didn't quite trust him, but considering what Ranzel had mentioned, it was beyond her ability to place that kind of confidence in anyone who did not earn it in an extraordinary way.

"Why? How can she help him?" Bre-jo asked, warily.

"I cannot answer that question because I do not know. Suffice is to say, Ranzel will die if she is not taken to him."

That seemed to decide it for the Malacite, combined with the effect of being in Ranzel's own ship. She nodded slowly, and then leant back. "Hold on a second, I'll find them and patch them through to your navi-computer."

Leo found himself waiting in silence, with only the thoughts of what was going on buzzing through his mind. He had lied to gain this information…but beyond that… He knew Bre-jo would learn of the truth as soon as the Council ship returned. It only made sense. But until then…

"Here they come," Came the Malacite's words again.

"Thank you," Leo breathed with a glance at his navi computer. The numbers were in, so he activated the device silently. "You have been a great help. I am sure D'Kar will be grateful."

Bre-Jo nodded to him and said warmly, "May the Force be with you, Padawan of D'Kar." Then her tone went harsh, "If you don't bring him back alive, don't come back; Bre-jo out."

Leo couldn't help but chuckle at that, and looked back at the navi computer. The numbers were locked in. It would be time to go now. He leant over to activate the hyper drive, and the ship plunged back into the thick white lines of lightspeed once more.

The ship came out of hyperspace at just the right point, the computer beeping pleasantly at him, and a green light flashing twice to announce a successful jump. It hadn't been that far between planets. No more than a minute had passed at those high speeds, so if anything, this planet was perhaps at the next star over, or close to it.

It was an orange planet, for the most part. Built out of sand coloured rock, it boasted some forestation, but showed massive signs of desertification. This was where they had settled his mother? It was remote to say the least, despite its closeness to Xircamede.

Leo brought the Renzucon closer. Perhaps it would be safer to take a shuttle, but Leo wasn't entirely sure he could bank on the ship staying in orbit… He didn't know enough about such things. Besides, he wasn't sure he could open the shuttle bay doors. Ranzel had used a peculiar wrist mounted device. He had taken it with him.

So the Renzucon would have to land. Slowly he brought the ship down towards the atmosphere. The computer compensated – allowing it to steadily creep in at just the right angle to not get instantly burnt into smithereens.

As he came out into the air below, two vessels swept suddenly up from the cloud level. They were fighters with v shaped noses and an engine that seemed to be held up by nothing between the two highest points of the shape. The pilots themselves sat in cockpits ensconced in the nose of the ship.

They came up on either side of the Renzucon, bringing their weapons batteries to bear on his ship.

"Unidentified vehicle: You are entering the hospital planet of Iroth. Identify yourself and your mission, or be destroyed."

"Easy," Leo purred, back into the microphone. "This is the Renzucon. I'm here to visit a patient of yours. Her name is Manila Black."

"Hold your current course, Renzucon. The check will only take a few moments."

There was silence as the three ships plunged on through the cold, thin air, high in the planet's stratosphere. Leo could see the hospital complex below. It was smaller than he'd expected it to be, and simply a round, silver building. The sand had grown up on one side of it, and the doorway was protected by this artificial dune shape. It moved harmlessly around the structure, which left long spits of sand on either side, but allowed the building very good protection.

Far away from the main building, separated by a great expanse of desert – presumably to keep the patients in seclusion – was another silver structure. If Leo narrowed his eyes, he could pick out a few more in the distance too.

"Okay Renzucon," the voice of the pilot stunned him out of his examination of the planet's surface. "Headquarters says you can come down. Follow us to the landing pad, and we'll get you your land transport for the Asinna complex."

Wonderful…land transport – just what he wanted – something else to consume the precious time it might take for the Council to get to the planet after him.

None the less he agreed, and slowed the Renzucon sufficiently to drop behind the fighters, falling in behind them.

The ship gave a little non-appreciative groan. It didn't like travelling at the slow speed that these planetary fighters insisted upon.

The little fighters led the Renzucon into the disk, so that just underneath the lip of the protective dome, his vessel was adequately protected from the elements.

Leo landed the ship just where the fighters directed him too, and suddenly they whizzed off to full speed and disappeared. Rising to his feet, Leo made one last check of the controls, then left, locking it down after he was out.

This time the only landing committee was an unescorted linguist droid. The droid approached him steadily. "Em-Two-Episolon-Delta, at your service, Sir. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," simpered the droid.

"And you, Em-Two-Epsi…"

"Just Em-Two," interrupted the droid, pleasantly.

"Very well. Em-Two."

"Now that we're properly acquainted," continued the droid, "Please follow me to the stables, and we'll have you on your way soon enough."

"Won't that be a relief…?" Leo murmured to himself, as the droid turned and began leading the way. Leo; who until just two weeks ago - hadn't seen a droid in his life, was beginning to dislike them already; and if they were all like this one… He shuddered at the thought.

The droid led him down off the landing bay to a safer platform, where a soft crooning currently filled the air. An animal cry. Leo reached out with his mind. There were perhaps forty or so of these creatures here.

"What are they?" he asked the droid, despite himself.

"Obira Beasts. They are very capable on these sands, and so much more effective for transport than anything else we were offered. Unlike any mechanised vehicle, they are unaffected by sand in their mechanisms."

Leo nodded vaguely. He could see them now that they were truly inside the stable. They had splayed feet like camels, specifically designed to balance their weight on the surface of the sand, while their long heads were like snakes, topped by two enormous, twisted horns. Otherwise, they were like horses, with thick mane over their eyes, and covering their smooth necks to protect them from the sand, and a long, swishing tail.

"How will I know where to go?" Leo asked, glancing at the droid once more.

"The Obira will know where to go. Each of them is trained to go to only one place." He pointed to the stalls directly in front of Leo. "These ones will take you to the Asinna complex."

Leo registered the stalls. Five in total, although one was empty. It seemed inconsequential, so he looked back to the droid. "And where will I find my mother once I arrive?"

"Your mother?" The droid obviously didn't understand. "Oh…the sentient life form you are here to visit. She's in building Delta Twelve."

Leo nodded, and then went up to the door. The Obira looked very friendly, but Leo reached out with the Force first towards it, offering a little soothing to the creature. He offered his hand, and the Obira flicked out a long, serpentine tongue, and licked it from the heel to the very tip of his finger. Leo winced, and then went for the door.

"Do you have any kind of saddle?" He asked the droid. It just stared at him in response. Well – he thought it stared – although it didn't exactly have expressive eyes.

Leo frowned, reaching up to curl his fingertips around one of the curled horns on the creature's head, and leading it out of the chamber slowly. "I suppose this will have to do." He glanced at the droid and then up at the back of the Obira beast. A leap, with the help of the Force, landed him gently on the creatures back. It gave a little start, but then settled quite swiftly and threw its head. Leo took a hold of the thick mane and nudged it a little in the side.

"Thank you, Em-Two," Leo called as the creature ambled forwards.

Riding the Obira beast was a lot like riding a horse, except that the stride of the Obira was a bit longer because of its enormous legs. It glided slowly out from under the massive, dome shaped building, and then began to climb one of the massive drift-dunes.

Leo closed his eyes slightly against the sand that blew up in the desert. It wasn't too bad, if he looked in the other direction, but he certainly was envious of the Obira's thick, protective hair. They must have rode for about thirty minutes at that steady pace, but finally the Obira began to climb again, and then dropped down off the edge of one of the protective dunes. They had arrived at the Asinna complex, but Leo hadn't seen it from the ground. There had simply been a sea of sand stretched before them.

The Obira came down into the welcome shelter, and Leo confined it to one of the stables, stretching out his exhausted body before turning to look into the building.

The whole complex was silver, but tainted with age. Large, dull pillars held up the dome shaped roof at regular intervals, and houses, in the shape of boxes stretched back as far as the eye could see, lit by dim lights in the roof.

Leo stepped forwards, and then paused. How would he find Delta Twelve? It was clear once he found it – a mark on each of the closest houses stating what its number was, each marked Alpha One, Beta One, Gamma one, etcetera. So Delta was his column, and now he must find his row.

He plunged ahead, wincing every time he passed a building. Everyone here had lost their memory. They each looked at him from their doorways, as though hoping that he was someone from their past lives, come to jog their memory back. But Leo knew he would know nobody here - nobody except his mother - so he walked on.

As he got further down the row, he slowly became aware of an odd, eerie darkness that rose from further down the column. He slowed his step, and kept his palm cautiously on the base of his lightsaber. To be feeling the darkness here was not a good sign…but with it a strength in the Force – something that wasn't dark. It felt almost like a heart in the process of tumultuous changes – between good and evil.

Wetting his lip, he allowed himself to move forwards a little faster. Whoever this was…they were in the same building as his mother. A fierce protective energy rose in him, burning away the edge of the Dark Side that threatened to poison his soul.

Delta Ten; he passed it, soldiered on. Delta Eleven; he began to slow cautiously. Towards the end of Delta Eleven he reached out with the Force, and had to shudder away the feeling that possessed him. The darkness was there – in the building just ahead of him now. He stepped forwards, inched along the wall and placed his hand tentatively against the door, pushing it open, and then half throwing himself inside, bringing his lightsaber up as he went, and igniting it.

The clash of another blade met his own.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Leo looked up into the returning, steady gaze of the creature that faced him. He was tall - his brow furrowed, and if Leo looked hard enough, he could almost see a spark of the Dark Side in his eyes – a fire which burned deep within him.

Keeping his lightsaber up against the opposing weapon, Leo pushed them both forwards. He needed to see into the room, find out what this man had done with his mother.

The other wasn't willing to allow him such a liberty. As soon as he made the flaw of stepping forwards, the lightsaber flew back and darted at his belly. Leo jumped back through the tight doorway, barely avoiding the attack.

Following through after his weapon, the newcomer drove him back a little further, until they were both in the open outside the building. Leo felt more vulnerable here, and was furious for simply letting himself for being simply driven out like that – as though he might have obeyed if the alien had simply ordered him out.

It was odd to think of him as an alien…because this man was remarkably human in comparison. Despite his glittering obsidian eyes, this man had a thin, short beard and long, black hair that fell around his waist. It was tied back, complete with a tiny thread of a braid – just like Ranzel's - which was bound in place within the hairdo. So, was he a Jedi? If so…why the infinite darkness within him? And why was he at arms with him?

Perhaps he was from the Council…but then how had they gotten here ahead of him?

"So many questions, little Padawan," he slurred, as though reading Leo's mind. Leo was aware that he simply might have been showing them on his face in a moment of unguarded surprise.

Leo controlled himself – now was not a good time to show his anger. Whoever this was might pick up on it, and if they meant to fight him, even defeat him through use of this weakness.

Keeping on his toes, Leo allowed himself to speak, softly, reaching out to contact the Force as he did so, and fighting the darkness at the same time as his closeness to the connection in turn increased his perception of the shadow creeping over his heart.

"I'll answer your questions, if you answer mine," the other intoned, darkly. "But…you must understand that I already know a lot about you."

That didn't sound like a very fair agreement, but Leo knew that at least, if he didn't answer the other man's questions, he could just fight him instead. He backed away a few steps, and the black haired man held his ground.

"Who are you…?" Leo finally said, coldly.

"My name is Eroth Ra," replied the other. "But you can call me Lord Ra."

Leo, having not heard the title Lord used in reference to a Sith Master, could not presume to know what such a thing meant. Instead, it simply felt like he was being informed of his impending subordination. "I will call you no such thing," he stated, firmly.

"You misunderstand me, showing just how much you truly know. I wasn't entirely sure of this foolishness before. I believed it was simply misinformation on the behalf of my contacts.

"By the title Lord Ra," he explained, helpfully, "I mean to inform you of my presence here as a Lord of the Sith."

This time, the words had the meaning that was intended, and for a moment he lost all control. The blackness swept at his heart like an unrestrained wave and he reached up to clutch at his chest with his free hand, the icy-ness burning through him at that instant.

Leo could hear Eroth Ra speaking to himself as he stepped towards the stricken youngster. "Interesting," he was saying, "Very interesting."

"Get back," Leo breathed, waving his lightsaber warningly at the approaching Eroth as he stepped back, struggling to regain some control. He let go of his chest and straightened up, reaching out tentatively to the Force again.

"Your weakness for the Dark Side will encompass you soon enough," Eroth purred, stepping just a little closer to the shaken Padawan. "Our cause will be pleased to know of your flaw."

Leo lifted his lightsaber just a little more, steadied his stance and caught his breath. "You got one free, so tell me where my mother is." He demanded, though to his dismay his voice was still shakier than he'd expected it to be.

"She's on the _Thunderstrike_ as we speak, heading for Empire space."

Again, the plunging feeling of ice cold fell around him, seizing him from head to toe in its grip. Eroth gave a wicked laugh, reaching out and seizing Leo's hand, wrenching the lightsaber from his grip. Leo almost didn't feel the pain. He fell to his knees gasping as Eroth recovered his lightsaber. The Sith Lord showed his white teeth, gloating at the shattered Padawan.

"You will never be strong enough unless you are trained properly. You cannot fight the Dark Side of your heart forever," he slurred, ravenously.

Leo forced himself up, his shoulders shaking. His mother was gone…a prisoner held by the Empire, and he hadn't known that it was possible. It was a shock to his system, beyond anything he'd ever thought possible to happen. It was like being in that hospital room all over again, the nurse sitting opposite him, breaking the bad news.

So this was why he felt so weak - the fear of being alone…the anger at the figure that broke the bad news? If he let go now…he could only seize on that anger, throw himself at the Dark Jedi and succumb entirely to the power of the Dark Side.

He would not submit that easily. He would not follow the ground rules that had been set out before him. They would not have him. Leo found he could call on the power of the Force again, with that sense of inner peace that came with knowing exactly what was happening at the time, aiding him. It was all clear, and for a blissful moment, Leo could feel the darkness recede from around his body entirely.

And then Eroth came at him, with both lightsabers.

Leaping over the first, cross of the weapons, Leo allowed himself to fall back to a reasonable distance. He had to recover that lightsaber, and quickly. He dodged another cart-wheeling blow from Eroth, then dived under yet another.

There could only be one way to get what he needed to defend himself. He seized a breath and, concentrating both on the darkness surrounding Eroth Ra, and on the will to disappear, Leo plunged back into the state of invisibility he'd developed earlier.

Blind he moved under the lightsaber blade that Eroth spun violently at where he'd disappeared from, and then he seized the handle and turned the blade against the instinctive attack of the other weapon.

Leo let himself fall back into reality. Hidden like that, he could not summon enough of the Force to hold his own against the clash of that lightsaber. Exhausted, he threw his weight back, sending the other's blade away from his head, and twisting Eroth's body in such a way that he simply had to let go of the lightsaber in his other hand, in order to defend himself.

Away in seconds, Leo closed his eyes and ran.

Eroth let him go, his dark eyes seething with fury. After a moment, the exterior calmness slid back over him. He had learnt even more about the abilities of this young Jedi – and his intense connection to the Dark Side.

Leo however, was long gone. He ran until the sand bit tears into his eyes, then stumbled and fell in the thick drift he had been scaling. The compound was far behind him, its walls hidden by the massive rise of sand.

He lay there for a few seconds, letting everything go and simply crying into the sand that lay plastered against his face. The whole reality plunged around him with a bitter, icy touch, and he cried all the harder in his dismay, breathing in through the thick sand.

Stuck a million light years from home; without a friend, his Master, or his mother: How could he be anything more than doomed for failure? He could die out here, and no-one would ever know, would they? His body would be torn away by the vicious sandstorms, and his skeleton would be bleached and scattered.

No, he told himself firmly. That wasn't true. Ranzel and his mother needed him. If he allowed himself to die here, they would never find him, truly, but Ranzel would be punished by the Council… Leo still wasn't sure how a peaceable community might punish a powerful Jedi. What about his mother? What would the Empire do to her while he was here, lying dead in the sand? Would they kill her when they discovered his demise?

Tired and emotionally unstable, Leo pulled himself determinedly to his feet. He would have to find his way back… But there was a problem there. His footsteps had been smothered by the effect of the wind whipping over them. They were gone, and for some strange reason, he couldn't locate the feeling of population on this planet.

He bit his lip and looked around in a circle, narrowing his eyes for some sign of life – anything that might help him to find his way back. There was nothing. No people, no trees as far as the eye could see, no Obira Beasts. There was only desert.

Concentrating, Leo reached deep into himself with the Force. This was important. He had to try and remember back to when he'd left the building. If he could call up some facts to aid him, it might not be so difficult to find his way back.

He was back in the compound again, running away from Lord Eroth Ra. He came out into the path leading away from the compound, ignoring the plaintive cry of an Obira as he went out into the vicious sand without it.

His immediate reaction was to turn into the biting sand, go straight up into it, because it would be far more difficult for Eroth to see him. He would have to shield his eyes from the sand, so he didn't go blind.

With closed eyes, he'd come all this way directly into the sand. There was sand in his nostrils, sand in his mouth and sand in his trousers, but Darth Ra had not followed him. He was safe now, but for the storm.

But how could he use that knowledge to help him? Surely the winds could have changed direction…?

The knowledge that they couldn't was already within him, and he recognised it as he asked himself the question. They didn't change direction, and that was why the domes were reliable protection against the elements, because the sand would never blow back within them with the changing of the wind.

Turning away from the wind now, Leo blinked. His crimson hair was being lifted from his face, wavering in a straight line directly before him. The wind was intensifying, if anything, perhaps because of the coming of night. Leo could see a pair of moons overhead – they would be the cause of this extreme weather.

He might have to send the question through the computer when he got back, as to just why the winds were so constant. Perhaps the moons rotated against the planets rotation…?

Shaking his head, Leo continued moving. It would do no good to get caught out here with only the moon's glow to lead his way.

His decision had proved to be the correct one, if slightly off. When he got back to the compound, he fell in from above. One moment he'd simply been walking forwards, and then there was nothing to walk on. He had been moving over the disk, and he fell forwards.

Recovering himself in mid air from the surprise of suddenly not having anything to stand on, Leo managed to save himself from a nasty fall, rolling back to his feet almost painlessly after the five meter drop.

He had his lightsaber out in seconds, wheeling towards any possible attacker, but the feeling of the darkness was gone now. A glance into the stables assured him that he was alone. There was only one Obira beast there now. It licked his palm in greeting, as though grateful that he'd managed to survive.

"I know," he breathed softly to it, stroking his fingers through its thick mane slowly. "I was worried too." The Obira threw its head and snorted loudly, and Leo laughed. "Only for a minute, I swear," he said, as though answering it, and then he reached up to take it by the horn, leading it out of the stable before he mounted.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The Obira was faster this time. It kept trotting in an attempt to get home quickly. It was obviously as worried as Leo had been about the onset of night. Soon enough though, they came into the stable, where an irritated Em-Two was waiting patiently for him to arrive.

"Ah, finally," the droid said, relieved. "I'm not a stable hand, you know. After our last visitor got back without you I began to wonder…"

Leo interrupted before the droid could go on. "The other visitor: Is he gone?"

"Well, yes…" muttered the droid, surprised.

"Well there's a relief. So…if you're not a stable hand, Em-Two, what are you doing here?" Leo was amazed with just how calm he felt.

"I'm here to inform you that the Battlecruiser _Crusader_ is in orbit right now, and demands that you submit yourself to the will of the Council."

"Ah…" Leo breathed, weakly. He had forgotten the intensity of the problem beyond the boundaries of this planet. Darth Ra had filled his thoughts since he had come face to face with him – and the knowledge that he had stayed here too long had finally caught up with him.

"If I might suggest, Sir, it would be folly to try and fight your way away from them. The chances of beating a Mirage Class Battlecruiser into hyper space before they catch you remain next to none."

Leo shot his gaze up to the droid and glared. "Why, thank you for your confidence, Em-Two." He shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. His ship was up there. Would the _Renzucon_ be able to get out from underneath the _Crusader _without being caught?

The droid was thankfully silent as Leo thought to himself. He could do the same that they had done on Pentusar, skim the planet's surface in an attempt to get into hyper drive from the other side…

Or he could turn himself over…

Then again, perhaps there was another option.

"What's the hyper drive number of the next planet out in this system?" he asked the droid.

"Nine Two Seven Eight Six One Three," stated the droid, perfectly.

"And the shorter the jump, the less time the navi-computer will take to process it, right?" It would make perfect sense if that was the truth. The droid gave him the affirmative.

"Well then…" Leo mused under his breath. "Can you give me a communications link to the _Crusader_?"

"As you wish… Will you be handing yourselves over to them?"

"Possibly," Leo lied, flicking his eyes up. "We'll have to see how enticing they are."

Following Em-Two back into the building, Leo was surprised to find out that the hospital here was run entirely by droids. He asked Em-Two why this was, and was stunned by his reply.

"Didn't you know, Sir? The medical facilities for the entire Galaxy are droid controlled for the most part. They are quite capable of downloading the data banks in a few seconds for any species that they might be required to heal. Much more effective in a place so diverse in its species, wouldn't you agree?"

Leo could only nod, stunned. It was logical, certainly.

The communications room was a tiny, cramped space. A brick shaped robot stood at one side, linked into the computer. It beeped furiously at Em-Two.

"Yes, I know you don't like having humans touching your computer, Arr-Sixty, but this is important. I want you to get back in contact with the _Crusader._ Hurry now!"

Arr-Sixty beeped angrily for a few more moments, but otherwise did as he was told. After a moment, an image appeared, formed like a hologram over what had only been controls and displays a second ago. In the centre was the symbol of the Jedi Council; a pair of crossed lightsabers with the words 'Interplanetary Council of Jedi Forces' wrapped around it.

The droid to Leo's right beeped irritably for a few moments, and Em-Two only answered with "I know, Arr-Sixty," leaving Leo nothing to speculate on as to what the little brick shaped robot had complained about.

Finally, the gold skinned woman from Cantauri appeared.

Leo went straight into the words he had been planning. "What have you done with Ranzel D'Kar?"

"He is safe, for now… He will stand trial, and the likeliness is, he'll be condemned to a planet devoid of the Force for the rest of his life," replied the woman. She had a smooth, convincing voice.

"And if I return to you freely?"

"It will have no effect upon his punishment, but you have no choice but to return. This isn't like life on your sheltered home-world. The Galaxy is…"

"...a dangerous place." Leo finished for her, with eyebrows raised.

"Exactly," she murmured, looking back at him. "So you see…you must go home…"

"Will that make the Universe any safer to live in?" he asked, coldly. "What happens when the Empire manages to reach my home planet…?"

"They will probably overtake it, and enslave you, unless we fight them back."

"Let me fight for it," Leo said, firmly.

"I cannot risk you turning to the Dark Side," the gold skinned woman said. "Your loss to them could mean the destruction of more worlds than you're capable of understanding."

Leo shook his head. "Perhaps we can discuss this in person…" He intoned, softly.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," the Jedi agreed, a deal of tension disappearing from her face.

"It'll take a moment to prepare the _Renzucon_," Leo replied, raising his chin just a little. His plan would have to go ahead then. If he allowed himself to dock with the _Crusader_ there would be no saving him. His fate was already decided in the minds of the Jedi Council.

"Very well… We will be tracking your progress." It was a warning, not a kindness.

The screen blacked out, and Leo took a moment to recover his senses. The woman had been exhausting to speak to – and it had taken a lot of concentration to keep his serenity. Some of the looks she'd given him had made him want to disappear again.

Frowning Leo took a moment to thank the droid, who beeped rudely at him in return, and then turned to Em-Two. "Could you lead me back to the _Renzucon_? I swear I'll be out of your hair forever after that."

The droid nodded and began away, leading Leo steadily up until they were once again on the landing bay.

"I wish I was going with you," stated the droid, "But considering your chances, and my responsibility to this sand pit…"

"You're probably right," Leo said, desperate to make sure that the droid didn't accompany him. He couldn't think of anything more irritating than having Em-Two tagging along with him. "I probably won't get out of this System."

The droid looked scared – if that was even possible – and lifted his hands in front of him. "Then I certainly will be staying here. However, I will wish you good luck."

"Thank you very much, Em-Two. I'll remember you if I ever need a linguist."

Smiling, Leo boarded the _Renzucon_, making his way to the cockpit. Firstly, he typed in the number that Em-Two had given him for the navi-computer, and then he made sure everything was locked down and tidy, in case they needed quick defence from the guns of the _Crusader._

"Can't be too cautious," he said to himself, as he tapped the controls and slowly began to warm up the vessel's engines, deactivating all the unnecessary systems as he went. The navi-computer sat waiting, mockingly, reminding him of what he was planning.

Beside it, Leo took a moment to study the same image of the double moon ship. The _Crusader_ was sitting in orbit like a content cat waiting for its tiny prey to come out, so that it could gobble them up. Leo was not intending to be an easy target.

The ship rose up off the platform tidily, when the engines were ready, turning its orb shaped nose slowly towards the opening, and then gliding out in a steady, forwards motion. The vessel rose up slowly, banking upside down and twisting as it changed its angle, and then slowly riding up higher and higher on as direct a course as Leo could manage towards the orbiting ship above. He wanted to be sure that the Council expected him to arrive before he threw the trick on them.

Holding his breath, Leo could only look ahead of him as the ship climbed steadily upwards towards the ship. If he narrowed his eyes, he could see the tiny speck which was the Battlecruiser, instead of a star. It got progressively bigger the higher he got, reminding him of his speed. It was on a half speed. Slower than it had been when they were escaping the Advanced Fighter back on Pentusar. He would have to compensate with a few extra seconds.

The ship burst into violent golden flame as they hit the atmosphere, climbing steadily, and Leo allowed himself to begin the count. One, two, three… Ahead of him now, he could begin to see the _Crusader_ clearly. At least, he could see its distinct shape against the star spattered darkness of space.

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen… He reached out to tap the activator on the navi computer. Its numbers swirled then fell abruptly still, and the computer beeped furiously at him. He was too close to the planet. A little further then… The ship was getting bigger and bigger, looming ahead of him like a great beast. Much closer and they would activate a tractor beam to pull him in.

He hit the activator again and this time the computer swirled into life, delivering him a number in a few, scant seconds. He fed it into the main computer, which took longer, and then they leapt into lightspeed, leaving the baffled _Crusader_ sitting there, like a dead duck.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The _Renzucon_ fell out of light speed after barely a second. No sooner had it disappeared but it reappeared by the further away planet, and Leo had only seconds to realise that his plan had worked.

The _Crusader_ was now far too far away to catch him with its tractor beam, but they would see what he had done and pursue him soon enough. Leo wouldn't have long to choose a planet and leave.

He typed in the number for Pentusar, remembering it with clarity, and then activated the navi computer. It began to whirl, picking out numbers, and the relief was massive. As soon as the computer was settled, he would be able to go, and then it would be a case of finding another planet.

But where would he go once this was all over? The escape from the Council was important enough now, but once this fiasco was complete, he had no idea where he might head next.

No, that wasn't entirely true. There was the little case of his mother…

Somewhere out there, she was being held on a Battlestar… The _Thunderstrike_, Eroth had said. They were heading for space held by the Intergalactic Empire.

But where was that? Leo had never known where exactly the Empire's space began. Ranzel had mentioned at one point that Pentusar Spaceport was close to the border, though, so it couldn't really be that far from his intended destination. Perhaps now he was more aware of the darkness, he might be able to lead himself towards its stronghold.

The numbers were complete now. Soberly, Leo allowed his fingers to feed the number into the main computer, his eyes on the panel which told him where the _Crusader_ was.

Before he could activate the hyper drive though, the golden skinned woman appeared on his screen again. "We demand that you surrender yourself at once," she said, firmly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Leo said, coldly. "The Sith I encountered on Iroth – Lord Ra…"

"Eroth Ra?" The gold skinned woman said, shocked.

"Yes…that was his name."

"Eroth Ra is a Jedi Knight," she insisted, stiffly. "I cannot believe otherwise…"

"Believe that if you will, but I tell you that he is a Lord of the Sith," Leo replied, sharply. "He tried to kill me, and he was party to the kidnapping of my mother."

"That is a daring accusation…"

"None the less, he did it," Leo said, firmly. "I will not let my mother be prisoner to the Imperials."

"What are you suggesting? Flying straight to Coruscant to find her? The more fool you! You would be dead before you reached the Ancient planets."

Coruscant? That information could prove invaluable…

"I'm a fast learner. Nether the less, you lose nothing by letting me go."

"We may lose everything if you become one with the Dark Side."

Leo shook his head. "Then that is a risk you will have to take." He turned his eyes to the scanner. The glittering _Crusader_ was coming closer now, and Leo was unwilling to risk further time on talking – that was, after all, what this woman was stalling for.

"What is your name?" He finally asked the woman.

"Counsellor Dandra Wei."

"Then I will ask for you when I return," he reached up. "_Renzucon_ out."

The ship turned and lurched into hyper drive at Leo's command, breaking the communications and leaving Leo in complete silence. He was alone now. As the ship flew on to Pentusar, there was only the flickering of lights and the thrum of engines.

It was distracting and terrifying at the same time, to be so apart from reality, travelling at a speed beyond all reckoning, to a place as far away from Earth as anything might possibly be. His mother was in the hands of an enemy more powerful than Leo might have ever imagined – his Master in the hands of his allies, being stripped of his ability as a Jedi.

And here he was, frog-stepping across the Galaxy, in order to sneak a peek over the Empire's garden fence.

Remembering just how far the trip to Pentusar was; two hours, Leo decided that an hour in meditation could hardly do his exhausted body any harm. And if he needed to protect himself, then at least he would have recovered a little from the exhaustive activities that he had been thrust into today.

Soon enough, he was in a pleasant trance, his eyes shut, and his hands braced on his knees. After that, time ceased in Leo's tired mind, and it was only when the computer woke him that he knew that two hours had passed.

Thankfully, no Battlestar was waiting for him when the _Renzucon_ came out of hyper drive. There were a few massive cargo ships, a few small, mean looking ships – just the kind of space traffic that had been here the last time he'd come…the time he was here with Ranzel.

He bit his lip. When he got his mother back, he would go before the Council to prove his worth as a Jedi to them. They would not be able to deny him if he survived going into enemy space, would they? _If_ he survived, of course; he could just as easily die, or worse, be turned. No…he was determined to resist the icy call of the Dark Side. No power was worth becoming a ruthless killer.

Leo stretched back in the seat and began to work his fingers over the now familiar console, working back into the ship's star charts. He found Coruscant's number, then ran it through the navi-computer, bringing up a route map.

Only then did Leo begin to realise the distances involved.

Coruscant was not only in another galaxy, it was also another galaxy over from their current position.

Concerned, Leo asked the library just how many galaxies were under Empire control.

The answer was, potentially, thirteen, with eight more which the Intergalactic Empire was attempting to overthrow.

And of those thirteen Imperial held galaxies, the one that held Coruscant was in the very centre. A formidable, fortified HQ, held by the Dark Side itself. Leo felt a shiver of fear run up his spine as he attempted to summon an image of the planet.

There was nothing in the library. Leo assumed it must be nigh on impossible to fly close enough to snap it – and get back out with the image. It was certainly not worth the risk, for a simple picture…

But Leo was going there for his mother. At least, he could only assume that was where he should be going. There was no way to assume that the _Thunderstrike_ would really take her there. It could be folly; walking into a trap.

There was no other choice, though. He must make this decision to go, or else simply wait until the Council caught up with him. Leo sighed and leant back just a little. How could he do this, exactly? It would be impossible…he could only be outnumbered at every turn.

But perhaps if he kept his appearances erratic - made short jumps – and kept the Empire on their toes…

Interrupting his thoughts was a most inane feeling, like he was about to be attacked. Wasn't he safe here; alone? No…the attack was upon the ship, not directly upon him. Leo reached out instinctively to activate the shields, and barely after he'd done it, the ship rocked with the effect of the powerful weapons.

He activated the communications device. "This is the _Renzucon_. Why are you firing upon me?"

There was no reply. So Leo brought the sub light engines up slowly, sending the ship into a violent spin that momentarily made his stomach lurch, and then, stopping the spin, he sent the _Renzucon_ on a death defying loop the loop. He caught a momentary glance of the vessel. Nothing he'd ever seen before. It was a battered old vessel, a little smaller than the _Renzucon._ Could this be a Bounty Hunters ship?

The _Renzucon_ sailed on swiftly, and Leo brought her into a smooth arc to the right. With his left hand he tapped in the coordinates of one of the random planets a short hop in from the border. Hopefully he would survive long enough to get that far, but his shields were suffering already from the violent blows of the other ship.

Coming out of its turn, the Barridian Cruiser came face to face with a barrage of bolts from the Bounty Hunter. Leo pressed the control down and the _Renzucon_ flashed underneath the attack. The antagonist must have stopped and turned around entirely to go after him in such a manner. Clever…but Leo would not fall for it again.

Leo realised just in time that he hadn't activated the navi-computer in the haste to rescue himself from the attack. Now he allowed himself to hit the command and concentrated on going in a straight line, the Bounty Hunter chasing his tail.

Wishing that he knew just who this mysterious attacker was working for, and just how much he was worth, Leo allowed himself a glance at the navi-computer.

It only had two numbers, and the slower ones were yet to come. It was perhaps, a longer jump than he'd meant to make. But if he stopped the computer now, it could only be more difficult.

He would have to wait it out, and survive the furious attacks until such a time. At least, the Bounty Hunter was only aiming at disabling him for now.

Leo sent the _Renzucon_ out of its slow rotation and sent it straight up, cutting the engines and turning it with the created momentum back round to face the Bounty Hunter. It had veered off, but Leo now had the edge of an advantage. Bringing the engines back up, Leo brought the ship onto the Bounty Hunter's tail instead - bringing up the controls for the ion canons and firing at the retreating, door handle shaped ship.

It started firing at him in response, from a weaker reverse weapon, and Leo began his evasive tactics as he flew on towards the momentarily retreating Bounty Hunter.

Four numbers – only three more to go.

Suddenly the Bounty Hunter simply stopped, and the _Renzucon_ crashed on with blistering speed towards the idle cruiser.

A last minute from reaction from Leo sent the ship rising up at an extreme angle to avoid hitting the ship. He twisted the controls, determined not to point in the same direction for longer than he needed to.

The Bounty Hunter had turned below him, and now they were both running on parallel courses. Any movement Leo made was cut off by the other ship. After a moment's irritation, Leo simply wheeled the controls around again and started in the other direction.

The comprehension required to understand his move and mimic it gave him enough time to get a little further ahead of the other ship. One more number now; one more number decided the rest of his life. He would be in light speed, or he would be dead – it was simple.

The Bounty Hunter was catching up with him little by little. Something of its design giving it superior engines, or perhaps simply the balance of shielding over engine power… None the less it was gaining on him.

Beeping, the navi-computer announced its having found all the numbers, to Leo's thankful relief, and he fed them through swiftly, giving the ship one last evasive wheel to avoid a flurry of ion bolts. The green light came on for hyper drive – and then the ship plunged into the safety of super speed.

Finally, the ship was in silence, and Leo ran the sensors over the ship to check for damage. One of his manoeuvring thrusters had been shot out by a stray blast, and his shields were on a scant thirty percent. He couldn't divert any power to replenish them while maintaining this speed, so they would have to stay at thirty percent until he could recharge them.

Meanwhile, Leo wasn't entirely sure just how long a jump they were making. It could take days to get to the planet that he had tapped in. He ran the question through the computer. Two days, twelve hours and thirty one minutes, in fact. Well, that was certainly long enough to recover from his adventure down on Iroth.

Stretching his arms out before him, Leo thought back on everything that had happened, and let himself rise up from the computer console.

He would train himself to exhaustion now, he supposed, and then he would go back into hibernation until his body was recovered quite enough to train some more. With the challenge passed advising him in the challenge to come, he may yet be able to improve.

If anything, the battle with Eroth had come to encourage him to become better. He had lost so easily to him. And only fear had made him flee. Next time, he would not be afraid; he could not let himself be. Fear is the path to the Dark Side, he repeated to himself, as he turned and began back down through the innards of the ship.

He would not be subverted to the Dark Side under any circumstances.


	23. Epilogue and Sequel Taster

Epilogue – Look out for the sequel!

"He is indeed D'Kar's Padawan, Lord Braxta."

The speaker was Eroth Ra. He stood opposite a greying, sinuous man, who's slightly sharpened teeth showed from between his thin, parched lips. His eyes glittered gold and red from beneath his thin, straight hair. He had a slight stoop as he leant over the chair in which a shaking figure lay, head turned into her thick red hair.

Darth Braxta may not have looked terrifying, but what he lacked in appearance, he well made up in power. Ranzel D'Kar was the focus of this power.

"And D'Kar…? What news do you have on him?" Braxta's voice was deep, and grainy. His eyes, now fixed on Darth Ra sent a shiver of fear through the Ex-Jedi.

"He's…suffering, my Lord. The Jedi Council will punish him for taking on Black as his Padawan against their will."

"You mean they will send him to an Undisclosed Location." It was clear that the undisclosed location was a particular place. "Very well, that sounds satisfactory. But he will not stay there, I have no doubt. D'Kar is far too crafty to be caught by such a thing."

"My Lord…?"

"You understand me, Ra. Now…how about this woman? Why is she here?"

"She is the Padawan's mother, Lord Braxta. Her name is Manila Black."

"Then she must die…" Braxta mused, coldly.

"My Lord…the Padawan will seek her out. He is on the run from the Jedi Council. If you kill her, then he will not find her."

"So you mean to bring him all the way to Coruscant? Do you believe he will survive that long?"

"The Bounty Hunters will protect him. His Bounty is massive, but only if he is alive. And the prizes that might be given to any Empire member who catches him will be substantial, in rank and honours. No one will harm him inadvertently."

Braxta nodded in agreement. "Very well…and why, Eroth Ra, is this Padawan so special to you?"

"He has an incredible power, my Lord. His potential is enormous, and he has a flaw which gives only a great weakness to the Dark Side. Beyond that, he is capable of invisibility."

"You want him as your own?"

"I would love nothing more," Darth Ra said boldly, regarding Braxta with his smouldering eyes.

"Very well…we shall see, we shall see."

Eroth Ra bowed, and then turned and then sped away, leaving the other man behind him. Braxta gave a little call to the closed door mirroring the one that Ra had just left through.

Another being whispered through from the closed door; his eyes glittered like polished copper, and he stopped just aside of Darth Braxta, lifting his hand to run through his thin, blonde hair. Two blood red streaks ran through his hair on either side, from patches of crimson skin that led around his eyes in coloured scales. The red hair trickled back down over the blonde, like something beautiful set aflame.

"You, however, want him dead; do you not, Darth Sako?"

"He killed my Master, Lord Braxta. I should care less for my existence until that upstart has been entirely destroyed." His voice was pure coldness.

"You do not want him captured?"

"I will submit to his presence as Sith Apprentice only in death, my Lord."

Darth Braxta looked impressed; he raised his eyes to the burnished orange glow of Sako's.

"Very well then," Braxta said, after a long moment of deliberation. "You have my permission to pursue him as you like. Kill him, if that will settle your desires. But if he is captured first, he will be trained as Apprentice to Darth Ra."

"He is not a real Sith.." Sako growled, narrowing his eyes.

"No, he is a Dark Jedi. Their understanding of the Force sometimes goes beyond ours, and they have the ability to break it from others. If you would rather have the chance yourself, I would willingly offer it to you above him. You are superior in years, and power…"

Sako almost snapped, but managed to control himself. "I can break any Jedi I wish…but I would rather _kill_ that one."

"As you wish... I will discuss it with the Elders." Braxta replied, with a slight smirk tainting his thin lips.

Sako bowed, and then wheeled away, following in the wake of the Dark Jedi.

Braxta turned back to the woman in the chair and moved back towards her, narrowing his eyes just slightly. She, he decided, would have to be submitted to the total hospitality of the Sith, and of the Intergalactic Empire. Such an introduction would certainly be fun…


End file.
